RADIO MARYJA AS AN EXAMPLE OF A CATHOLIC FUNDAMENTALIST ENVIRONMENT

The aim of this article was to define the fundamentalist character of the environment concentrated around Radio Maryja the radio station. In the course of consideration an attempt was made to answer the question about the tools and methods which Tadeusz Rydzyk as a charismatic leader used to build one of the biggest fundamentalist Catholic circles not only in Poland, but also in Europe. The author attempts to define the essence of fundamentalism in the ideological dimension, pointing to religion as a sphere of exceptional susceptibility to the formation of circles of this nature. In connection with the specificity of the Polish political scene and the exceptionally strong politicization of religion in recent years, the article also attempts to characterize the Polish social mentality as a phenomenon conducive to the development of religious fundamentalism. A critical analysis of media and political speeches, or press articles related to the activities of Radio Maryja, allowed at the same time to analyze the real consequences of uncritical acceptance of the ideological messages coming from the Torun radio station.