One of the most fascinating culture characteristics I like
to observe are those concerning faith and religion. Different regions across the world hold
widely different belief systems. In some
cases, even within the same belief system, there are some pretty big
differences about what that system means across borders.
I am a member of the Roman Catholic Church. As such, I have a great connection to the
same faith that has made such a dominant presence in the central European
region consisting of Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and the Czech
Republic. The Holy Roman Empire certainly
had a great presence in these countries in earlier history. Much of this political influence is still
felt today in many of their traditions.
Unfortunately, this remaining mark of religious culture does not necessarily
also support a healthy modern day community of religious people. Much to the contrary, many of these regions are
seeing increasing numbers of agnostics and atheists. The Catholic traditions of keeping rest on
Sundays and celebrating all major feast days and solemnities are all upheld,
but the reverence towards why those days are taken off of work is greatly
lessened in today’s European society. I
noticed this distinction last year while working in Munich, Germany. I had actually brought in a cake to celebrate
Corpus Christi, for which we received a paid holiday. Many of the guys in my department did not
even know what this day meant.
Despite a growing trend of “non-religious” affiliation, the
landscape in all three countries visited on this past trip was filled with the
physical presence of the Catholic Church.
Nearly every Bavarian village and town had one chuch, and in Munich’s Altstadt alone, there were nearly five
or six churches within a few blocks of one another. At the height of religious fervor in the
region, these churches would have been filled each weekend. On our various city tours, we learned that
many of the larger cities in the region grew simply because of the presence of
a religious community. A monastery in
Munich brought its first markets and growth.
The city is actually named after the word for “monk”. And if anyone questions where such good beer
comes from in Europe, one could also look to the monks. Linz saw incredible growth in the middle ages
because of a Jesuit college founded there.
In Prague, the presence of faith was seen in its innumerable number of
churches and religious figures. Nearly
every street had some form of religious picture, icon, or symbol. Charles Bridge was lined with images of
Christ and the saints. Even pilgrimage
sights, such as that of the Infant Child of Jesus, are in many European
cities. After seeing such a presence of
icons, it is amazing to think that the United States gets so uptight about a
simple statue holding the Ten Commandments!
There was certainly a different level of acceptance regarding these
professions of faith. In terms of outer
appearance, one would say that Europe is much more religious than the United
States.
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| Theatinerkirche in Munich |
I must say that today I feel most of these items are looked
upon with nostalgia in much of Europe. The statues and churches resemble things of
the past for many citizens. While some citizens
remain a part of the Church, many more do not.
I was astounded to hear from one of our tour guides that today the Czech
Republic has some of the lowest numbers of religious on Earth. In the 2011 census, it was reported that 38%
percent of the country was agnostic or atheist.
Only 10% remained Roman Catholic and fewer than 3% were Protestant. What is even more astounding is that the number
of people claiming to have no religion increased by almost 20% through the
1990s (that’s TWO MILLION people!). I
could hardly believe these figures when I later looked them up! Southern Germany, in the Bavarian region, has
a much higher number of people claiming religious affiliation, but the numbers
are still low. Over 56% of the population
are Catholic, while around 21% are a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Bavaria. While these numbers appear
higher, there is an even greater number who are not regularly practicing
members of their church communities.
Just for some reference to the United States, here are some
comparable stats. The United States is
officially a secular nation, but nearly 60% of Americans state that religion
plays a very important role in their lives.
In 2007 a U.S. Religious Landscape Survey indicated that around 78%
percent of adults identified themselves as Christians. Just over 50% claimed to be protestant, while
around 24% claimed to be Catholic.
Roughly 16% of Americans claimed to be agnostic or atheist (an increase
of around 8% through the 1990s).
The following map, borrowed from the 2005 Eurobarometer
results, shows the percentage of people in each country who simply answered “I
believe there is a God.” This does not
indicate affiliation to a church; it merely indicates the belief in God at all.
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| Percent who responded "I believe there is a God" |
The next question, naturally, becomes, “WHY?” In a 2005 article by US Today (found here),
reasons have been attributed to “Europe’s turbulent history, an increasing
separation between the church and government…and perhaps most of all, the
continent’s unprecedented affluence.” The
article continues by stating that when survival and wealth are assured, many do
not feel the need to turn to a God.
Recent years have been the most secure in all of Europe’s recent
history. Another reason for possible
drops in numbers could be attributed to a lower birth rate in Europe. Even more possible, I think, is the history
of the political influence of religion in the past. Between Crusades, the Inquisition, and other
reformations, wounds may still be felt in Europe. Having governments today which are no longer
connected with the Church allow the people to actually decide what their faith
is. No longer restricted to profess a
certain faith, many choose none at all.
Looking at Europe as a whole, however, these trends are not
completely the same across the board. In
Western Europe, where more stability and economic success has occurred, the
number of religious appears to be in decline.
In the East, where economic conditions are slightly less stable, there
is a stronger group of faithful. Here,
we might also observe that during communist rule, many anti-religious ideologies
were placed in those countries. Now that
people are again free to choose their faith, more take advantage of this.
If one thing is certain of religion in Europe, it is that it
has been through a much more tumultuous past than religion in the United
States. Where we have seen religious freedom
since our founding in 1776, European countries have seen governments forcing
them to be Catholic, Protestant, non-religious, and everything in between. They have been forced into wars over
faith. They have been condemned, burned,
and jailed because of faith. As a
Catholic, I marvel at what saints had to endure from religious persecution in
Europe. At the same time, I marvel at
some of the Church’s darker history in Europe.
In many periods, Bishops were no better than oppressive dukes and kings
of the time. I can empathize with many
Europeans who want nothing to do with religion because of this unstable
past. Not knowing what the future may
hold, it may be best to simply play it safe and stay out of the pews.
I would, of course, advocate the opposite though. If ever there was a time to take hold of
faith in Europe, it should be today. For
the first time in centuries, many people are finally free to worship
freely. I think this is something to be
embraced. What will really happen in the
next few decades is still a mystery, but I know I will be praying for healing
of those faith communities. After the
war, many churches were rebuilt and their battle wounds have been mended. They stand today as gorgeous testaments to a
rich church history. Now, the next step
may be to heal the communities which fill them.
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| Restoration of Dresden Frauenkirche |
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