The place of religion in society
Freedom of religion and belief is protected by the Basic Law, the German equivalent of the Constitution. Article 3, on the prohibition of discrimination, stipulates, among other things, that no one should be discriminated against or privileged because of their religious faith or opinions. Article 4, for its part, defends freedom of belief and profession of faith, and guarantees the free exercise of worship. While freedom of worship is the rule, laïcité is not as strict as in France, since the State collaborates and maintains neutral dialogues with the various religions. For example, most state schools and universities offer religious courses. However, the place left to religion in public life also depends on the choice of each Land, and some of them, mainly Berlin and Brandenburg, have a stricter approach to secularism, which is closer to the French vision.
In Germany, as well as being a freedom, worship also implies duties. Indeed, the government requires its population to declare the religion to which they belong. Since 1919, membership of a religious denomination has given rise to a tax levied by the government and paid to the church in question, enabling the faithful to benefit from its services. Jews, Protestants and Catholics are subject to this tax, but not Muslims, Orthodox Christians, Buddhists and other minorities. Indeed, at the time these provisions were introduced, almost all Germans were affiliated to the Church, so other religions were not included, a situation the government is now seeking to correct. This tax, known as the Kirchensteuer, is deducted directly from salaries and the amount is set by each Land. It is generally between 0.2% and 1.5% of income. To be exempt from this tax, you have to apply to the local court clerk's office, be struck off the church or synagogue register, and thus be excluded from the various religious ceremonies. This means you can no longer attend a religious wedding or funeral, among other services. Churches offer a wide range of services to their faithful: day-care centers, retirement homes, hospitals, schools, orphanages, and even a press system. The Evangelical Press Service(Evangelischer Pressedienst) for the Protestant Church is the oldest press service in the country, operating since 1910, while the Catholic Press Agency(Katholische Nachrichten-Agentur) has been in operation since 1952. These numerous services enable the two churches to continue to exert a strong, albeit declining, influence. For example, the hospital network of the two churches alone represents a third of the country's total capacity and employs around a million people. The government also contributes to the social services offered by these churches. It maintains a neutral support relationship with them, i.e., it does not affiliate itself with any religion, while recognizing their contribution to society.
In 2020, the German Christian Church received 12 billion euros from the Kirchensteuer. The previous year, however, it had received 800 million more. In fact, more and more Germans are leaving the Church, partly to avoid this tax. In 2019, 500,000 citizens expressly asked to no longer be affiliated with the Catholic and Protestant churches. A 2021 report found that almost a third of believers subject to the tax had already considered leaving the Church.
Since the early 2000s, there have also been heated debates surrounding the issue of abortion, and the Church's place in it. Abortion is illegal in Germany, but decriminalized up to 12 weeks, and thus practiced. Until recently, women wishing to have an abortion were cared for by pre-abortion centers, openly supported by the Catholic Church, which tried to dissuade them. If the woman maintained her decision, the Church would then issue her with an attestation d'entretien, which allowed the pregnancy to be terminated. This attestation was decried both by non-Catholics, who argued that abortion should be a freedom and a personal choice, and by Catholics, who saw it as a "license to kill". The situation caused such an uproar that Pope John Paul II had to make his own decision in 1999, calling for the closure of these centers. However, in the current abortion debate in Germany, the Church continues to advocate that abortion should remain illegal, a position once supported by Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union party.
Christianity, between Catholicism and Protestantism
It was a German, Martin Luther, who led the Protestant reformation of the 16th century. In 1517, this monk published a series of criticisms of the Catholic Church, led by the Pope. In particular, he denounced the trade in indulgences, i.e. offering the faithful the opportunity to buy forgiveness for their sins. In a Germany long neglected by its rulers in favor of Rome and the papacy, his writings were a resounding success, leading to a major religious conflict. In response, in 1555, the Peace of Augsburg attempted to calm the situation by allowing the various sovereign princes of Germany to choose whether to join Catholicism or the nascent Protestantism. Two-thirds of Germany subscribed to Lutheran Protestantism. Since then, Germany has remained divided between these two faiths, and not without conflict. Indeed, this religious conflict played a major role in provoking the Thirty Years' War, which tore Europe apart between 1618 and 1648. Despite their past conflicts, the two churches enjoy a cordial understanding today.
Around 50% of Germans identify themselves as either Catholic or Protestant. More precisely, at the end of 2021, according to the Federal Statistical Office, the population was made up of 26% Catholics and 23.7% Protestants. To put it simply, the division between the two forms a diagonal: the northeastern Länder are Protestant, while the southwestern Länder are Catholic. Bavaria is the most Catholic of the Länder. Bavaria is also the birthplace of Pope Benedict XVI, elected on April 19, 2005, a former diocesan priest from Regensburg and former archbishop and cardinal of Munich and Freising. However, both Catholicism and Protestantism are present everywhere. Both are currently experiencing a significant decline in popularity, which is equivalent on both sides.
The growing number of atheists
No less than 41% of the population declare themselves to be atheists. The absence of religion is particularly high in the East German Länder. Reunification brought with it a considerable influx of people with no religious affiliation, as well as a wave of East Germans leaving the Church. This was partly the result of Communist doctrine, which saw religion as "the opium of the people", as Marxists put it. Even today, the citizens of the former GDR are the least religious in the world! In fact, almost two-thirds of the inhabitants of these states say they have never believed in God, compared with 10% in West Germany. The least religious states are Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Brandenburg, all of which have between 70% and 80% atheists.
Reunification, however, has only accelerated a phenomenon that was already well underway, as atheism is affecting an increasing proportion of the population, mainly - but not only - young people. They consider the Church too far removed from the modern Western way of life, but have also lost faith in the institution as a result of the many controversies that have affected it, such as those on the issue of abortion. Another major controversy concerns the systematic installation of crucifixes in public schools in Bavaria, a state with a very strong Catholic tradition. On December 19, 2023, Germany's Federal Administrative Court ruled in favor of the Bavarian authorities, holding that they are not obliged to completely renounce religious symbols. The decision caused quite a stir in Germany.
Religious minorities
Islam is gaining ground in Germany, mainly due to massive immigration from Muslim countries, notably Turkey, which accounts for two-thirds of the faithful, but also the countries of former Yugoslavia and, more recently, Syria and Afghanistan. In all, Muslims in Germany come from some fifty different countries. It is estimated that just over 6% of the German population is Muslim, making Islam the country's third-largest religion. Since 2006, the German Islam Conference has been held annually as the main forum for dialogue between the government and Muslims. According to surveys carried out by the conference, 70% of Muslims in Germany follow Islamic rules, particularly in terms of diet, and 40% pray daily.
Large Muslim communities have sprung up, mainly in Berlin and the major cities of West Germany, where immigration, particularly from Turkey, has been very important in providing labor for industry. The question of their integration is often a hot topic in Germany, with the construction of the Cologne mosque between 2009 and 2013 sparking heated debate. Many politicians and public figures, as well as ordinary citizens, spoke out against the Islamization of a traditionally Christian city. It was also the size of the mosque, one of the largest in Europe, and the presence of two 55 m-high minarets, which provoked controversy in a city with one of the largest cathedrals in the world. The wearing of the headscarf is also the subject of much debate, particularly in schools. In April 2024, an Islamist demonstration attended by one to two thousand people in Hamburg, mainly to complain about values imposed on Muslims in Germany, caused a scandal throughout the country. The controversy stemmed mainly from the fact that many of the demonstrators called for the establishment of a caliphate, i.e. political power exercised by a caliph, i.e. a successor to Mohammed. Despite Islamophobia, which remains in the minority, Muslims in Germany are able to live well. There are 2,700 mosques throughout the country, as well as prayer halls such as the one at Frankfurt airport. Many cities and private companies are stepping up their integration efforts, such as Frankfurt, which in 2024 became the first city in the country to install illuminations to celebrate Ramadan.
As for Judaism, it accounts for less than 1% of the population. Before the Shoah genocide perpetrated by the Nazis, there were five times as many Jews in Germany as there are today. Most of the community is concentrated in a few large cities, such as Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt. There is also a small Orthodox Christian community, made up of Slavic immigrants from Russia and Eastern Europe.
Finally, in Germany, as in many other Western countries, new spiritualities and esotericism are gaining in popularity. This is largely due to the decline of traditional religions, which has led many Germans to seek alternative forms of spirituality. Astrology has become particularly popular in recent years, as have tarot and divination, New Age beliefs and even pagan rituals. As a result, the market for spiritual products and services is booming in Germany, with people snapping up crystals, pendulums, spiritual retreats and consultations with unconventional medical professionals.
