Söder and the cross

No fake. No satire or polemics: let's deal with the cross, identity and cultural influences. “Are we cross”?

Germany in 2018. The Basic Law that speaks of religious freedom has existed for almost seventy years. This exists as both positive and negative religious freedom: positive religious freedom enables all people living in Germany to practice their religion freely, while negative religious freedom prohibits the state from imposing a religion on its citizens.

Likewise in Germany in 2018: “In the entrance area of ​​every office building in the Free State, a cross must be clearly visible as an expression of the historical and cultural influence of Bavaria as a visible commitment to the basic values ​​of the legal and social order in Bavaria and Germany.”

From June 1, 2018, it is recommended that municipalities, districts and districts in Bavaria display the cross in the entrance area of ​​every service building as a clearly visible symbol of cultural identity with a Christian-Occidental character.

The Bavarian cabinet decided this on April 24, 2018, and shortly afterwards the Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) hung a cross in the entrance area of ​​his own state chancellery, which attracted media attention. A decision could hardly be conveyed more symbolically.

This means that religious symbols are returning to the state. And the cross, in contrast to the Easter bunny or Christmas tree, is a very clearly Christian symbol that can be traced back to Jesus' suffering.

Quo vadis, secularism in Bavaria?

In the last almost seventy years, the mentality and self-image in this country have changed. After 1945, people who had to leave their homeland had to start a new life somewhere else, but their Christian background gave them an initial point of contact. In the 1950s to 1970s, people came as so-called guest workers who, among other things, brought their Muslim faith with them; and after reunification in 1990, the greatest possible religious freedom in the new federal states emerged as a new challenge.

church and state for almost seventy years . A decision that was initially painful for many, but was the right decision after the failure of most of the Protestant and Roman Catholic Churches during the Nazi era (lack of resistance to euthanasia and the systematic persecution and murder of Jewish people). .

So what is the state of secularism in Germany (and Austria)? Briefly explained: Secularism is the separation of state and church/religion. The state appears neutral towards religion, neither dismissive nor particularly fond of it. Just neutral. Accordingly, in secularism the state does not present any religious symbols. In Germany and Austria, secularism has never been completely established, but the state does not want to persuade citizens to practice their religion, but instead grants, anchored in the basic law, the free exercise of religious and ideological beliefs. This also means that a non-religious worldview has the same value as the state.

Of course, according to the Basic Law, there is no state religion in Germany, just as there is guaranteed religious freedom in Austria, but Christianity and therefore every Christian in Germany and Austria is in a privileged situation. No need to discuss. There is simply no absolute secularism in Germany or Austria; it is also questionable whether it is that easy, since in Germany in particular the governing party has the term “Christian” in its name.

Likewise, despite all changes in mentality: almost all people can agree to norms such as the Ten Commandments - as long as these norms come without reference to their Christian origins . There are many Christian Western values ​​that have influenced our society and continue to influence it today.

Not a religious symbol (?!)

And now the cross is returning to the authorities in Bavaria. This is of course difficult. The so-called “crucifix judgment” of the Federal Constitutional Court of May 16, 1995 states quite clearly that the installation of a cross or crucifix in the classrooms of a state compulsory school that is not a denominational school violates Article 4 Paragraph 1 of the Basic Law. violates (see Bundesverfassungsgericht.de )

“On the contrary, the freedom of belief in Article 4 Paragraph 1 of the Basic Law results in the principle of state neutrality towards different religions and confessions. The state, in which adherents of different or even opposing religious and ideological beliefs live together, can only guarantee peaceful coexistence if it itself maintains neutrality in matters of faith.”

Interesting: According to Söder, the cross should not be a religious symbol of Christianity, but rather a confession of the identity and cultural influence of Bavaria. Of all things, the cross, as already mentioned at the beginning of the text, which can definitely be traced back to the passion of Jesus Christ, should not be interpreted as a religious symbol. Just as interesting: At the same time, headscarves are classified as religious symbols in Bavaria (see Article 59 Teachers ), provided that these “ symbols or items of clothing can also be understood by students or parents as an expression of an attitude that is consistent with basic constitutional values ​​and educational goals the constitution, including the Christian-Occidental educational and cultural values, is incompatible.”

Let's remember: A headscarf is a religious symbol in Bavaria, but the cross is not.

worldviews

How do people deal with the cross, especially when it has to hang in official institutions? I don't want to go into Islam here at all, because with around 5% of the population, Muslims are rather irrelevant in this discussion ( compare : Religious affiliations in Germany 2016 fowid). No, it's about the largest group within religious affiliations, it's about the non-denominational.

The largest ideological group in Germany, the non-religious group, grew by a further 380,000 people in 2016 and now represents 36.2 percent of the total population.

– Source : Religious affiliations in Germany 2016

Over a third of all people in Germany live non-religious lives. Whether these people actually end up living as non-denominational as it appears on paper or whether they said goodbye to one of the Christian churches for financial reasons remains to be seen. Nevertheless, this is by far the largest group. Admittedly, the numbers look different in Bavaria, that's no secret. The “most recent” reliable figures come from 2011 and are therefore no longer fresh, but they show that Bavaria, with 55% Catholics and 21% Protestants in the 2011 census, has an above-average proportion of Christians in the population had. Only Saarland had a higher proportion.

Nevertheless, the group of non-denominational people is not irrelevant in Bavaria and represented a not insignificant size at 20% in 2011. More recent figures for Bavaria, such as those on the website Kirchenaustritt.de , citing the sources Church Office of the EKD, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria and the German Bishops' Conference also show a significant decline in the numbers in Bavaria.

Bavaria particularly Christian?

Knowing that the census figures are now several years old, one can still ask the question to what extent Bavaria has a special position here and at least represents the state's population by displaying crosses in authorities. Forecasts from the World Views in Germany research group (fowid) also predict that the Catholic Church will also lose its majority share in Bavaria.

With the exception of the small Saarland, the Catholic Church has lost its original majority position of well over 50 percent in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, which will also soon be the case in Bavaria.

– Source fowid

This decline in numbers is neither due to migration nor to other denominations that have become excessively larger, but, according to fowid, simply to the reduction in the number of members of the Catholic Church. Between 2011 and 2015, the number of members of the Catholic Church fell by almost 280,000 people.

The cross as a political symbol?

Söder's plans send the wrong signal. It seems as if the cross is an attempt to capture votes in a certain (lost?) spectrum - nothing more and nothing less could be hidden behind it in view of the upcoming Bavarian state elections. It seems as if religious freedom is being questioned a little here. If a non-Christian (for example a non-denominational person, of which there are also some in Bavaria as mentioned) enters an office in the residents' registration office and sees a cross on the wall, then his question is justified as to whether he can retain his freedom of religion in this city or not should be influenced to the Christian faith.

Germany in 2018. A country on the move, with new challenges and questions. This state should always guarantee me as a private individual the free exercise of my religion and belief, but it should not influence this (non-)exercise. Meeting the challenges and questions of today by returning to “Christian values” in the form of symbols is the wrong approach. Knowing your own point of view, using it to talk to others and then negotiating a compromise that gives everyone a good path in life does more than just fleeing to a supposedly safe home.

Authors: Andre Wolf & Matthäus Monz