The Cultural Taboo Word: Religion in Germany…

As an American, I have always taken the separation between church and State as a given: Sundays do not differ from any other day of the week, donations to churches are on a volunteer basis and are not automatically deducted from church member’s taxes, religion is not a public school requirement, and while Christian holidays like Christmas Eve and Easter are usually times of vacation, they are not federal holidays. This is, however, not true for Germany.

German culture and government are greatly influenced by Christianity. Even tourists become painfully aware of this when visiting for a weekend, especially during the weekends. All stores are required to close on Sundays: clothing shops, pharmacies, grocery stores, all of them. Only gas stations and cafes remain open, but with altered business hours. Sunday, according to the Bible and the German government, is a day of rest, and therefore should be set-aside for all citizens, from government officials to grocery checkers, to have the opportunity to go to church, spend time with their family, and prepare for the next week. As a Christian, I find this lifestyle actually quite nice. It gives all families the opportunity to engage in an activity together, and encourages people to go outside. However, as an American, I feel that choosing Sunday as the day of rest is prejudicial against other religions. If Christians get Sunday off then why do Jews have to work on Friday evenings and Saturdays?

The Berliner Dom: the most famous church in Berlin

Christianity is the dominant religion in Germany. Over 60% of the population is Christian, half of whom are Catholic (located predominately in southern Germany and the Rhineland area) and the other half is Protestant (located predominately in eastern Germany.) The remaining citizens are either Atheists or Muslim (4%.) In comparison, there are only 200,000 Jews in Germany, or 0.24% of the population. With such an overwhelming Christian populace, it comes as no shock that the federal government rules and regulations are slanted toward the benefit of Christians. However in a country like the USA, where the government was founded on the principles of religious freedom, religious favoritism has no constitutional basis.

There are ten federal holidays in the United States. The majority of these days commemorate a group of people or an event that had a significant, positive impact in American history, for example MLK Day, Independence Day, and Veterans Day. Christmas Day is a holiday, but other than this one exception, religion has no bearing on these federally declared days of celebration.

In comparison, Germany has nine federal holidays and six of the nine are based around Christianity, namely: Good Friday, Easter Monday, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, Christmas Day, and the 2nd Christmas Day on the 26^th of December. While it is true that 60% of the German population is Christians, as an American it is hard to justify having over 60% of the federal holidays Christian based.

The Dom in Köln

As a federal republic, Germany exercises the freedom of religion, and legally allows citizens to safely practice any religion. By law, all religions are respected; however, it does not appear that all citizens uphold this law, or attitude. This past fall, there was a controversy regarding the construction of Islamic Minarets in western European cities. While this issue occurred in Switzerland, the topic was greatly discussed by Germany, their newspapers, and news media. Many Germans were appalled by the thought of having a minaret built in their neighborhood. The argument I often heard was it was bad enough that the population of Muslim immigrants in their country was exponentially increasing, but hearing the call to prayer five times a day was going too far. I made no comment, and only listed, but to myself asked, “what was the initial purpose of Christian church bells?”

Religion has always been a taboo topic: one that is only brought up when in search of an argument. It is, however, when examining a country’s culture, society, and government, a very important factor. Religion helps to elaborate on the moral values of a society, it elaborates their laws, and in some cases, can even explain the past. The US is a nation founded on religious rights, freedoms that exist, but are not always recognized or acknowledged in daily life. As an American, I have seen the importance and impact these principles can have on a culture, a society, and within myself. I only home that this experience will be ingrained within me and never again take the separation between Church and State for granted.

Standing infront of the Protestant church by our house