Between Spontaneity, Institutional Church and State Politics. Oasis Movement in Poland

Abstract

This paper discusses a history and macro-structural environment of "Light-Life" movement. It also presents some "external" and "internal" social aspects of Polish religious movements. This Movement emerged in the 1950s as one of the numerous manifestations of a religious revival in Poland. It was found political, oppositional and illegal by the state authorities. Since 1989, thanks to political democratisation in Poland, the Movement has undergone various important transformations. The fact that the Movement identifies itself with the Roman Catholic Church gives it a change to take advantage of the Church's resources. The system transformation in Poland has created opportunity for emergence of new form of public activity, religious one included. The spontaneous character of the Movement gained a chance of a stronger expression and the two trends (currents) appeared, both of which differ mostly in terms of their own goals and attitudes towards social reality around them. They are strongly influenced by the differences in the socialisation processes within the trends.