Civil religion

As a civil religion of the religious content of a political culture is understood as deemed necessary by Robert N. Bellah, so that a democratic polity works. In principle, any identity can endowing or acceptance -creating elements of a culture fulfill the function of religious proportions. Civil religious in this sense, all cultural interests that are not changed by political action alone can be abolished or introduced.

The prerequisite for civil religion is the separation of church and state. State and religious objectives differ. However, since religious aspects are decisive in other than religious matters, the term civil religion arises.

Older theorists

The notion of a civil religion is a product of the Enlightenment: He comes from Jean -Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) political treatise The Social Contract ( " Social Contract ", 1762). According to Rousseau, the religion policy requirements has not grown ( war, abuse of power ). He understands the religion civile as a bourgeois, compulsory creed with simple dogmas: the existence of God, life after death, the retribution of justice and injustice, the sanctity of the social contract and the laws that tolerance. It ensures to separate man and citizen privacy and public. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was operating with a notion of cultus civilis. A form of secular religion of reason developed as Immanuel Kant Religion within the Limits of Reason Alone.

From a philosophical point of view go both, the basic idea of a religion of wisdom, and also the notion of a soul, with which man the highest good has its share, the idea of ​​teaching and the doctrine of the soul from Plato back: " The divine but the Beautiful, the True, the Good and what is otherwise such. Of these, now nourishes and invigorates the soul plumage most, but the ugly and evil and what is the opposite of that otherwise it shrinks and disappears. "

Civil religion in the United States

Robert N. Bellah handle these references to 1967 in order to describe functions in the American polity. His thesis is that there is one of them clearly distinguishable, developed and firmly institutionalized religion in addition to the churches, the so-called civil religion. Bellah describes phenomena of general religiosity in the political sphere. As examples he cites President Talking with the recurring theme of American determination under God ( "In God we trust" ). Other elements of such a religion are the American interpretation of history, which often has strong parallels to the Old Testament, with the U.S. as the New Israel ( God's own nation! ), The Atlantic Ocean as the Red Sea and the Independence and declaration of principles analogous to the Ten Commandments for him. Part of a civil religious rite are also the associated holidays for him.

Robert N. Bellah has re- used the concept of civil religion in his studies of the American society. Civil religion as an analytical concept is to describe certain religious settings, which are shared by most members of society. For the studied case of Bellah USA, users can establish the following: Civil Religious settings are expressed by means of various symbols, including not only national symbols, such as the American flag, and symbols with strong biblical Konnontation belong. This civil religious symbols occur mainly in public space and less in the actual religious premises of various American religious communities. Particularly noteworthy is the use of civil religious symbols in political rhetoric: Elements of American civil religion are the frequent reference to God in political speeches. But the frequent reminder and admonition that the United States of America stand for certain values ​​that are shared by all Americans (should), can be regarded as a civil religion, as this one ideational self-image of American society is expressed.

The general religiosity is thus connected with constitutional patriotism and national pride into one unit. This American type of political thought reflects the buzzword of the clash of cultures, which in turn is brought together with the "post- secular " idea of the "return of religion ".

Applicability for Germany and Europe

Compared to the U.S. can be the - local - concept of civil religion for Germany does not apply to the same extent. Neither there are more national symbols that have a similar position and cause similar reactions in the general population, nor is the public space dominated by religious symbols that express a non-profit self-image. However, the discussion is about the concept of " culture" as well as the German confrontation with the past, early indications point to an emergence of a civil religious symbol treasure.

The question of a civil religion, or after a common set of rituals and religious connotations self - images can be, however, at the European level to determine: The discussion on, european ' dominant culture to a reference to God in the European Constitution and to the possible accession of Turkey to the European Union are current areas of discussion here.

Declared for the Lutheran Church in Germany Bishop Wolfgang Huber, that America and Germany about " two contradictory civil religions " possessed.

Discussed in Germany but the idea and concept of " constitutional patriotism ". That contains the essential elements of the concept of civil religion in a highly political sense. Hans Kung's idea of ​​a Global Ethic also connects not only the secular ethics with the idea of religion, but also relies on a political movement.

German discussion

Overview

The German debate runs otherwise largely factual and differentiating.

The idea of ​​civil religion based on its two parts, on the Civilian, which dates back to Roman citizenship ( civis ) and also the "status civilis " co-determined in the sense of natural law, as well as on the idea of religion. Actually Separate is thus in a combined for both sides, the Secular as the religious side, ultimately provocative way in order to describe a social real condition.

The term civil religion combines at least three different points of view.

Thus, the idea of ​​civil religion unites already in Rousseau two major orientations. Rousseau refers on the one hand, generally to the " divine", but then he writes: "There is therefore a purely civil profession of faith, and fixing his articles only thing is the head of state ". In a democracy, so this is the cause of the civil society of the Democrats. With their religious orientation, such as the reference to God, the idea of civil religion includes so today is the question of the role of religions " in civil society ." But at least pari passu has the idea of ​​civil religion, and by reference to their national government and understanding of society differently, a largely secular side, in the sense of a " secular religion of civil society".

A new third, the social- anthropological idea of religiosity in terms of a human constant, shows Thomas Luckmann, as early as 1967, in his famous essay " The invisible religion " on. First, it all about the "maintenance of symbolic worlds through the succession of generations away ." Second, and with respect to the formation of an individual's self become a human " biological organism of the person, by forming an objectively valid, but at the same time subjectively meaningful internally mandatory cosmos with others."

German approaches

In the debate about meaning and nature of civil religion, the special sciences bring their respective basic orientations with a:

• Rousseau's idea of civil religion in its full width taken up again first the political philosopher Hermann Luebbe. In his follow- Heinz Kleger understands the civil religion, especially as a citizen religion. It checks whether there was already talk of a "European civil religion ", and denies this because there is a lack of a common sense of citizens ..
• After the " pre-political foundations of political order " asks political scientist Herfried Münkler, under the general title citizens religion and political civic virtue, and the specification as " moral order."
• The sociologist Niklas Luhmann uses the term of the " religion of society." " Function", " power " and " reflection " of the religious system would indeed change under conditions of functional differentiation of the social system, but they remained basically.
• In the " order of values ​​of the Constitution ", the stress, the Federal Constitutional Court, referring to the constitutional lawyer Ernst- Wolfgang Böckenförde. He also emphasizes the function of the self-stabilization, but also cares about the fact that this idea amounts to a kind of state totalitarianism beyond.
• The religious philosopher Michel Kühnlein uses the term " religion of reason ", which is the philosophical form of civil religion, and sets her against the idea of ​​existential theology.
• From a philosophical- anthropological perspective explains Klaus Hammacher "The new civil religion has purely ideological character ... ". Here Hammacher is indeed the idea of ​​civil religion as such critical of, but only because he interprets it as merely a " publicly recognized opinion," the one "real taboo " lack therefore, " as with the idea of ​​justice as a transcendent principle the law is based. "

Definitions

In Luebbe's successor, the political philosopher Heinz Kleger and Alois Müller fan of the concept of civil religion wide and in the following manner:

• Civil religion as privatistisches Christianity,
• Religion of the citizen as a philosophy of the citizen,
• Political religion from the perspective of political sociology,
• Civil religion in the American sense as charging of politics and civil society by religious elements,
• State religion in the German sense of commitment to the Constitution and its basic elements as civil religion,
• Culture religion as about -and post- denominational secularization in the Constitutional State in the broad sense, as a state, law and culture.

Kleger / Muller offer for clarity A panorama in which the division into four disciplines is based on:

• From the perspective of sociological systems theory: religion as a " generalized values ​​in a functionally differentiated society,"
• From the perspective of political philosophy: Religion as a cultural preservation condition of the liberal state,
• From the perspective of constitutional theory: religion as a "structural relationship between state, society and the Church "
• From the perspective of Christian theology: a "Christian philosophy of disunited existence,"
• And: Religion as a " politico- theological relationship between state, society and the Church."

It must be added the psychological side of the civil religion: religion as a structure of the emotional- spiritual expression and anchoring of the " identity of the individual and its communities."

Post Secular Society

Jürgen Habermas raises the word of the post-secular society in the discussion. The liberal rule of law is maintained, as gently as possible to deal with the pre-political - moral sources that make up And he adds einordnend " feed the norm consciousness and solidarity of citizens. ": " This conservative become consciousness is reflected in the speech of the post-secular society ". Elsewhere Habermas would nonetheless also that so anyway, no legitimating added value resulting for the " Constitution State ," which he sees clearly separate from the liberal state.

The Haber mesh aspect of the post- secular is still able to provide the idea of ​​the "return of religion " closely to the side. In this sense, in any case takes him to the religious philosopher Kühnlein and looks in the pre- political space to accommodate the religion. But he also explains, but that should not 'll say, " that religion is on the articulation of a civil religious based ideology could claim exclusive ownership levels of political legitimacy affirmation for themselves in terms ... "

Preambles of the constitutions and conventions

Commitment have the character with fundamentalist traits reveal the largely secular preambles of Western constitutions and those of transnational human rights conventions. So loud set two to four of the Preamble to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union by 2009:

" Conscious of its spiritual and moral heritage, the Union is founded on the indivisible, universal values ​​of human dignity, freedom, equality and solidarity. It is based on the principles of democracy and the rule of law. It places the individual at the heart of its activities, by establishing the citizenship of the Union and an area of ​​freedom, security and justice. "

Axel Montenbruck builds, among other things (since 2010) a primarily secular, but open for religions series of monographs on which the overall title " civil religion. A legal philosophy as philosophy of culture " carry. Construction and main theses describe the four individual titles:

(I) foundation: Democratic preamble humanism. Western civil religion and universal triad " nature, soul and reason."

(II ) basic elements: civil reconciliation. Ver - atonement and mediation, punishment and confession, justice, and humanity for legal perspectives.

(III ) Normative Superstructure: Secular civil religion. Ideas and discussion, ethics and law. As well as anthropology: Holistic Superstructure: Central World and three- thirds human. Social Reale dehumanization and civilization as a synthetic pragmatism.

" The preamble humanism can be so once you expressly committed to him as a " substitute religion of the reasonable " suggests the use of the word religion represents -. Well - represents a rational self-criticism "

Belief in human rights

" The sacredness of the person - A New Genealogy of Human Rights" is the title of the social philosopher Hans Joas work. Human rights are for us the " obviously good". Methodologically it were a new type, the "affirmative " genealogy. " Elective Affinities " would connect, among other Christianity and humanism. So they agreed on the nature of their narratives and in the idea of the person. Had in common while the idea of ​​holiness, which then show up as " belief in human rights."

Bridge between European Enlightenment with Judeo- Christian theism

The political philosopher Andrew Nix has " intentionally created a close connection between the Judeo-Christian theism and civil religion produced, because it is ultimately the differentiated and Orthodox theology, which should endorse plans for the future - not in the form of a dictation, but in the form of the self-restraint and self-reflexivity admonishing voice. Theology is able to both appeal to the responsibility as to cover also the limits of own responsibility. The civil religion exists because of this theology, it is their heart. "

People image of civil religion

The human image of the civil religion determine three elements, the "soul" and " human dignity " as the idea of ​​"person." As a legal entity of the person is then self-responsible subject of rights and duties.

Civil religion and Islam

Especially in Southeast Asia is to observe " Islamic world " a discussion of the concept of civil religion by Robert N. Bellah from the perspective of. In 1999, Bellah's book " Beyond Belief " by Islamic publishing house Paramadina has been translated into Indonesian. The notions of a civil religion is based on the social conditions in the city of Medina at the time of the Prophet as a social ideal ( medina Fadila ). This is followed by the debate about possible forms of civil society ( Masyarakat madani ), even if madani derives not from Medina but by madaniyya ( civilization ).

The discussion follows the insight that faith communities such as Christianity and Islam do not provide self-contained models of society. Rather, they are designed to, " to unfold in the context of respective circumstances and their sources and to put to the test. Religion becomes a communal process of dialogue about social ideals; a dialogue in which one relates to the other (re - aliter ), and make reality constructed (re- ality ). Civil religion is thus the task of the members of a society, to stand trial in the context of this reality. "