The coming out process is fundamental for identity integration among LGBQ+ people, and its impact can vary greatly depending on personal and contextual factors. The historical, cultural, and social contexts in which LGBQ+ people develop their sexual identity can mediate the relationship between CO and health outcomes. The present study aimed at clarifying the CO process in three generations of Italian LGBQ+ people by providing data on: sexual orientation milestones, such as age of first awareness, age of first self-label, and (...) age of first CO, as well as the rate of disclosure during different life stages; the rate and average age of CO to significant others; and CO within the religious context and its effect on participants’ minority stress experiences. A total of 266 Italian LGBQ+ people participated in the study, with ages ranging from 20 to 80 years. Findings indicated that, on average, the older adult group became self-aware, self-labeled, and disclosed their sexual identity at a significantly older age than the other groups. Older adults were also more Catholic and had CO more frequently to their Catholic community, relative to young and middle adults. CO within the Catholic context was associated with distal and proximal minority stressors, such as discrimination, vigilance, and internalized sexual stigma. Catholic community reactions to participants’ CO were distinguished through thematic analysis in three main types: unconditional acceptance, invitation to change, and open rejection. The present research extended current knowledge on CO and minority stress experiences in different generations of LGBQ+ people. Several differences emerged between generational groups on sexual orientation milestones, highlighting the potential impact of historical and cultural contexts in determining sexual minorities’ experiences related to sexual identity. It is recommended that mental health professionals working with LGBQ+ clients implement targeted interventions based on their clients’ multiple salient aspects, including age and religious background. Clinicians should also be aware of the potentially detrimental effects of CO within an unsupportive context, rather than encouraging CO tout court. (shrink)

The protagonist of Thomas Mann’s short story "The Clown" cannot became an artist because he hasn’t got enough talent. He is also unable to live among people as an ordinary citizen because his social competencies haven’t been completely developed. That is why he can be regarded as a literary figure who tries to leave the real world and to penetrate the literary world. The devil who appears in Charles Gounod’s opera "Faust" based on Johann Wolfgang Goethe’s drama "Faust" and who (...) is watching the protagonist from the stage during the opera performance seems to be the only person who can help him to find his existential space. (shrink)

This is an English translation of Juliusz Domański’s “Fausta Socyna Explicatio primae partis primi capitis Euangelii Ioannis i egzegeza erazmiańska,” in his "Erasmiana minora. Studia i szkice o pisarstwie filozoficznym i religijnym Erazma z Rotterdamu" (Warsaw: Instytut Tomistyczny, Instytut Filologii Klasycznej UW, 2017), 337–63. Translated with the Author’s permission. The paper compares the method of Biblical interpretation used by Erasmus of Rotterdam with the method of Socinus, raising the question of the extent to which the method outlined by Socinus (...) in his Explicatio primae partis primi capitis Euangelii Joannis can be seen as continuous and and consonant with the method of Erasmus, and to what extent it should be seen as its rejection or modification. In addition, the essay outlines similarities and differences, with respect to both method and content, between Erasmus' Adnotationes and Socinus’ Explicatio. (shrink)

Polemizując z poglądami Kanta i Hegla, Goethe stworzył własną filozofię przyrody i filozofię człowieka. Jego zdaniem ludzie są cząstkami świata przyrody, dlatego poznają siebie w takiej mierze, w jakiej poznają przyrodę. Humanistyczny światopogląd Goethego jest trudny do pogodzenia z doktryną chrześcijańską, ponieważ sprzeciwia się dualizmowi ciała i ducha oraz zakłada istnienie pełnej wolności, będącej podstawą autonomicznego kształtowania przez człowieka własnego środowiska życiowego. Tym niemniej Goethe nie zamykał się na pewne treści religijne, które poszerzają perspektywę widzenia świata, a nawet dość chętnie (...) wypowiadał się językiem mistyki religijnej i korzystał z bogatej symboliki chrześcijańskiej. To człowiek jednak jest dla niego wyłącznym panem Ziemi i tylko od niego zależy, jak będą przebiegać na niej procesy rozwoju. Główny bohater Fausta uosabia niezbywalną życiowo potrzebę czynnego poznania i działania oraz metafizyczną potrzebę wieczności, respektującej wymogi skończoności i czasowości wszelkiego istnienia. W oczach Lowitha Goethe jest myślicielem zawsze aktualnym, bo jego poglądy są zgodne z duchem każdego czasu. Mimo, że przedstawi on najgłębsze prawdy o człowieku i świecie, to pozostał – niestety – w dużej mierze nierozpoznany i niedoceniony przez współczesnych mu intelektualistów i działaczy społeczno – politycznych. (shrink)