Religion in Germany

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Christianity is the largest religion in Germany with 54,765,265 (67.07%) adherents as of the end of 2006.^[1] The second largest religion is Islam with 3.3 million adherents (4%)^[1] followed by Buddhism and Judaism. During the last few decades, the two largest churches in Germany (the Protestant Evangelical Church in Germany or EKD and the Roman Catholic church), have lost significant number of adherents, both are down to roughly 30%.^{[2] [3]} With 30.7 % as per the end of 2008, the Catholic Church is still close to its pre-World War II 1939 percentage of 33%.^[4]

The most notable losses occurred in the Protestant churches, especially owing to the atheistic policy conducted in former East Germany. However since the fall of the communistic regime two decades ago, the EKD continued losing members.^[3]. Other churches in Germany are all rather small (equal or less than 0.5%).^[1] As a result of re-unification (of East and West Germany), the number of Germans without a religion has grown, especially owing to the addition of the eastern states with their large non-religious majority. Hamburg has also joined this segment of the non-religious German population.^[5]

Religious communities

Christianity

The religious situation in the German Empire about 1895. Red and pink areas are predominantly Protestant, blue areas predominantly Catholic.

Despite recent losses in adherents, Christianity is still by far the largest religion in Germany,^[1] with the Protestant Evangelical Church in Germany EKD (particularly in the north) comprising 30.2% as of 31 December 2007 (down 0.3% compared to the 30.5%^[6] in the year before) of the population and Roman Catholicism (particularly in the south and west) comprising 30.7% as of Dec. 2008^[7] (also down 0.3% compared to the year before).^[8] Consequently a majority of the German people belong to a Christian community although many of them take no active part in church life with Sunday church attendance considerably less than 10 percent of which 4.1% Catholics (in 2008)^[9] and 1.2% Protestants (in 2007) belonging to the EKD.^[10] 1.7% of the population are Orthodox Christians.^[1]

Independent and congregational churches exist in all larger towns and many smaller ones, but most such churches are small. One of these is the confessional Lutheran Church called Independent Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Germany.

Roman Catholicism was the sole established Christian denomination in the country in the 15th century, but the Reformation changed this drastically. In 1517 Martin Luther challenged the Catholic Church as he saw it as a corruption of Christian faith. Through this, he altered the course of European and world history and established Protestantism.

Islam

As of 2006, according to the U.S. Department of State, approximately 3.2 million Muslims (mostly of Turkish descent) live in Germany. This figure includes the different denominations of Islam as well as religions thought to be forms of Islam by most Germans who are even aware of them, such as Alevites. Lately there have been heated discussions about the question of whether or not Muslim women in public service, such as schoolteachers, should be allowed to wear headscarves to work.

Judaism

Today Germany, especially its capital Berlin, has the fastest growing Jewish community worldwide. About ninety thousand Jews from the former Eastern Bloc, mostly from ex-Soviet Union countries, settled in Germany since the fall of the Berlin wall. This is mainly due to a German government policy which basically grants an immigration ticket to anyone from the CIS and the Baltic states with Jewish heritage, and the fact that today's Germans are seen as significantly more accepting of Jews than many people in the ex-Soviet realm. Some of the about 60,000 long-time resident German Jews have expressed some mixed feelings about this immigration that they perceive as making them a minority not only in their own country but also in their own community. Prior to Nazism, about 600,000 Jews lived in Germany, with familiar background going back to Roman times or even earlier. Many Jews from Russia and other former communist countries in Germany adhere to Reform Judaism.

Cults, sects and new religious movements

As in most other countries the churches are actively involved in disseminating information and warnings about sects and cults (in colloquial language the German word Sekte is used in both senses) and new religious movements. In public opinion, minor religious groups are often referred to as Sekten, which can both refer to destructive cults but also to all religious movements which are not Christian or different from the Roman Catholicism and the mainstream Protestantism. However, major world religions like mainstream Orthodox Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Islam are not referred to as Sekten.

When classifying religious groups, the Roman Catholic Church and the mainline Protestant Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) use a three-level hierarchy of "churches", "free churches" and Sekten:

1. Kirchen (churches) is the term generally applied to the Roman Catholic Church, the EKD's member churches (Landeskirchen), and the Orthodox Churches. The churches are not only granted the status of a non-profit organisation, but they have additional rights as a statutory corporations (German: Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts), which means they have the right to employ civil servants (Beamter), do official duties or issue official documents.
2. Freikirchen (free churches) is the term generally applied to Protestant organisations outside of the EKD, e.g. Baptists, Methodists, independent Lutherans, Pentecostals, Seventh-day Adventists. However, the Old Catholics can be referred to as a free church as well.^{[citation needed]} The free churches are not only granted the tax-free status of a non-profit organisation, but many of them have additional rights as a statutory corporations.
3. Sekten is the term for religious groups which do not see themselves as part of a major religion (but maybe as the only real believers of a major religion).^{[citation needed]} Examples of groups called Sekten are Scientology and Hare Krishna.^{[citation needed]} Although these religious groups have full religious freedom and protection against discrimination of their members, their organisations in most cases are not granted the tax-free status of a non-profit organisation.

Every Protestant Landeskirche (church whose canonical jurisdiction extends over one or several states, or Länder) and Catholic episcopacy has a Sektenbeauftragter (Sekten delegate) from whom information about religious movements may be obtained.

Secularism

Before World War II, about two-thirds of the German population was Protestant and one-third was Roman Catholic. In the north and northeast of Germany especially, Protestants dominated. In the former West Germany between 1945 and 1990, which coincidentally contained nearly all of Germany's historically Catholic areas (aside from eastern Silesia and Polish districts of what was eastern Germany), Catholics have had a small majority since the 1980s. Protestant areas were much more affected by secularism than predominantly Catholic areas. The predominantly irreligionist states (Hamburg and the East German states) used to be Lutheran or United strongholds.

There is a non-religious majority in Hamburg, Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt only 19.7 percent belong to the two big denominations of the country.^[11] This is the state where Martin Luther was born.

In eastern Germany both religious observance and affiliation are much lower than in the rest of the country after forty years of Communist rule. The government of the German Democratic Republic encouraged an atheist worldview through institutions such as Jugendweihen (youth consecrations), secular coming-of-age ceremonies akin to Christian confirmation which all young people were strongly encouraged to attend (and disadvantaged socially if they did not). The average church attendance is now one of the lowest in the world, with only 5% attending at least once per week, compared to 14% in the rest of the country according to a recent study.^{[citation needed]} The number of christenings, religious weddings and funerals is also lower than in the West.

Religious freedom in Germany

The German constitution guarantees freedom of faith and religion. It also states that no one may be discriminated against due to their faith or religious opinions. Unlike some other countries, cooperation between the state and religious communities is entirely in keeping with the German constitution. Religious communities that are of considerable size and stability and are loyal to the constitution can be recognised as "statutory corporations". This gives them certain privileges, for example being able to give religious instruction in state schools (in most states except of Berlin and Bremen) and having membership fees collected by the German Finanzamt (the German equivalent of the US Internal Revenue Service) or by themselves. Such Church tax is levied if a person lists a religion on their tax form or is listed as member in the population registry. It is a surcharge amounting to between 8 or 9% of the income tax. The status mainly applies to the Roman Catholic Church, the mainline Protestant EKD, and Jewish communities. There have been numerous discussions of allowing other religious groups like Jehovah's Witnesses and Muslims into this system as well. The Muslim efforts were hampered by the Muslims' own disorganised state in Germany, with many small rivalling organisations and no central leadership, which does not fit well into a legal frame that was originally created with well-organised, large Christian churches in mind.

In 2005 the local government in the city of Paderborn became embroiled in a controversy whereby a number of Baptist families refused to send their children to any mainstream school or accepted substitute, preferring homeschooling with a strong religious theme. It is a requirement of German law that every child be educated in a state school or an acceptable alternative. The local government acted to force the parents to comply with the law, but to no avail - firstly warnings, then fines, then brief custodial sentences did little to deter them. Eventually, in August 2005, the city took the parents to court, and the parents lost custody of the children. The legal argument behind this decision was the balancing between the religious freedom of the parents and the freedom to be educated and to have equal opportunities in life of the children. This was preceded by a similar case in the nearby city of Gütersloh in 2004.

Church and state are separate, but there is cooperation in many fields, most importantly in the social sector. See Status of religious freedom in Germany and Separation of church and state in Germany.

Also of note is that Germany hosts one of only seven Bahá'í Houses of Worship in the world. Completed in 1964, it is located at the foot of the Taunus Mountains in the village of Langenhain (close to Hofheim am Taunus), approximately 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) west of Frankfurt.

List of religious groups and figures

Religions in Germany: Listed are 2006 estimates by the Religionswissenschaftlicher Medien- und Informationsdienst e. V. (REMID) and other sources.

• Religious 80.666 M^[1]

Christianity

• Christians 53.5 M (approx. 65%)^[12]

Protestantism

Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Berlin

• Protestants 26.448,526 M (32.31%)^[1]
  • Evangelical Church in Germany 25.101 M (30.5%) as of 31 December 2006^[13]
  • New Apostolic Church 400,000^[12]
  • Aussiedler-Baptisten 300,000-380,000^[12]
  • Free Evangelical / Charismatic 232,000^[14]
  • Baptists (mostly Bund Evangelisch-Freikirchlicher Gemeinden in Deutschland KdöR) 86,500^[12]
  • Methodists 65,638^[14]
  • Christliche Versammlungen / Freier Brüderkreis / Plymouth Brethren 45,000^[3]
  • Bund Freikirchlicher Pfingstgemeinden (Pentecostal) 40,000
  • Evangelical Methodist Church (Evangelisch-methodistische Kirche), part of the worldwide United Methodist Church 38,000
  • Independent Evangelical-Lutheran Church 36,000^[15]
  • Mennonites 39,414^[3]
  • Seventh-day Adventist Church 36,000
  • Apostelamt Jesu Christi 20,000^[16]
  • Bund Evangelisch-reformierter Kirchen Deutschlands (Reformed) 13,000
  • Christengemeinden Elim (Pentecostal) 10,000
  • Danish Church in Southern Schleswig 6,500
  • Apostolische Gemeinschaft 6,000
  • Gemeinde der Christen - Ecclesia 4,000^[15]
  • Johannische Kirche Johannische Kirche 3,500
  • Church of the Nazarene 1,984^[14]

total: 26,448,526 Protestants

Catholicism

• Roman Catholics 25.176 million (30.7%) as of 31 December 2008^[17]
• Old Catholics 25,000
• Maronite Rite Catholics 6,000^[1]

total: 25,467,000 Catholics

Orthodoxy

The Coptic Orthodox Monastery of St. Antonious in Waldsolms-Kröffelbach, Germany.

• Orthodox 1.4 M (1.7%)^[12]
  • Orthodox Church of Constantinople 450,000^[12]
  • Romanian Orthodox Church 300,000^[12]
  • Serbian Orthodox Church 250,000^[1][12]
  • Russian Orthodox Church 150,000^[1]
  • Bulgarian Orthodox Church 66,000^[1]
  • Syriac Orthodox Church 55,000^[1]
  • Armenian Apostolic Church 35,000^[14]
  • Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church 13,000^[14]
  • Greek Orthodox Church 13,000
  • Assyrian Church 10,000^[14]
  • Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church 3,600^[15]
  • Coptic Orthodox Church 3,000^[14]
  • Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kyiv Patriarchate 1,000

total: 1.4 M Orthodox

Other Christian

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 37,159^[18]
• Jehovah's Witnesses 166,000^[12]

total: 203,159 Other Christians; total Christians: 53.5 M from four Christian categories above

Islam

A Mosque in Bremen.

• Muslims 3.3 M (4%); number of Muslims with German citizenship: 1 M (1.1%).
  • Sunni 2.5 M^[12]
  • Alevite 410,000^[12][16]
  • Shi'a 225,000^[12]
  • Ahmadiyya 50,000
  • Ismaili 12,000
  • Sufi 10,000

Judaism

• Jews 200,000 (0.25%)^[12]
• Union of Progressive Jews in Germany 3,000 members
• Central Council of Jews in Germany Most Jewish communities

Others

• Buddhists 245,000 (0.30%) (see Buddhism in Germany)
• Hindu 97,500^[12] (see Hinduism in Germany)
• Sikh 50,000 (see Sikhism in Germany)
• Bahá'í Faith 5000-6000^[19] (see Bahá'í Faith in Germany)
• Yazidi

No religion

• irreligionists (25-33%)^[12]

Polls

Existence of a supernatural entity

According to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll 2005,^[20]

• 47% of German citizens responded that "they believe there is a God".
• 25% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force".
• 25% answered that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force".
• 3% answered "don't know".

See also

• Buddhism in Germany
• Evangelical Church in Germany
• History of Germany
• History of the Jews in Germany
• Islam in Germany
• Lutheranism
• Martin Luther
• Max Weber
• Protestant Reformation
• Religion by country
• Roman Catholicism in Germany
• Status of religious freedom in Germany
• United and uniting churches
• List of churches in Hamburg

References

External links

• Eurel: sociological and legal data on religions in Europe
• Germany - Catholic Encyclopedia
• Germany - Sacred Destinations
• Statistic by REMID about Adherence to Religious Communities in Germany
• Germans Reconsider Religion
• Religion in Germany (Deutschland): Mitgliederzahlen
• History of Pentecostal Churches in Germany