claims of exclusivity in any sense – this regards both the individual's faith and his or her membership with churches or religious organisations. Members of the Native Polish Church insist that their Slavic ancestors were followers of the same God as the Christians and Muslims and others worship in their own special way. This means that one can be both a member of the Native Polish Church and a member of a different religious association (not necessarily pagan). Therefore, membership with the Native Polish Church does not require any formal act of apostasy from the candidate's previous faith. The only formal membership requirement is the filing of an appropriate declaration of accession that serves as a statement of creed. As Slavic Neopaganism by definition describes its own territorial scope due to its visible ethnicity, the Native Polish Church does not find a verification of its candidate's descent to be necessary. It is assumed that anyone who feels Polish has the right to be Polish and it was in this very sense that the name Polish Native Church was founded. Indeed, the concepts declared in the founding act state that one may become a member irrespective of one's ancestry, because the vital elements of a nation are common language and culture. Although one of the requirements set forth in the declaration of accession is to present one's governmental Identification Card, it is possible to grant membership to a foreigner, especially one of Slavic descent. The church is a religious association based on the principles of democracy. It declares an attitude of generous tolerance and objection to racism, Nazism and intolerance of other creeds, backgrounds and nationalities. All clerical positions within the Church are based on cadencies and elections. Membership is free. See also Slavic mythology Władysław Kołodziej References Simpson, Scott (2000). Native Faith: Polish Neo-Paganism At the Brink of the 21st Century, Wiench, Piotr (1997). "Neo-Paganism in Central Eastern European Countries" in New Religious Phenomena in Central and Eastern Europe, External links Rodzimy Kościół Polski (PL) Modern pagan organisations based in Poland Slavic neopaganism Modern pagan organizations established in 1995 Pantheist organizations 1995 establishments in Poland