The Religion of Germany: History and Modernity

The question of which religion in Germany is very significant for the history of the German state, as well as the prospects for its social development in the future. Religious processes have a significant direct and indirect impact on the life of European society, so this area should be given due attention.

Pre-Christian Germany

Let's start with the origins. The religion of ancient Germany, like all the national cults of European nationalities, was represented in ancient times by paganism. In this case we are talking about the Nordic type of religiosity, in mythology and practice similar to the Scandinavian authentic traditions.

The head of the ancient German pantheon is Wotan, the father of the gods. He and his retinue, whose members are called Ases, dwell in the highest of the nine worlds - Asgard. And the mysterious place of their stay on earth is the Sacred Grove.

The pagan tribes of the Germanic lands largely depended on the power of the priestly estate. Although their rights and privileges from the community to the community changed somewhat, in general, the priests concentrated in their hands the judiciary, were in charge of social sacrifices and were engaged in prophecy.

By the 10th century pagan traditions in the Germanic tribes had come to a final decline in connection with the spread of Christianity.

Christianization of Germany

The religion of Germany began to change from the IV century, together with the active preaching activity of church missionaries - the Irish and the Anglo-Saxons. Initially, the lands of the German tribes perceived the Arian version of Christianity, but over time, under the pressure of secular authorities, political processes in the international arena and the activities of Catholic preachers, the German population is increasingly imbued with the spirit of orthodoxy. The turning point in this respect is the mission of Saint Boniface, who in the 8th century managed to reorganize the religious life of many tribes of Germany and unite them under the jurisdiction of a single metropolia located in Cologne. Personal commitment Boniface of the Roman Church and devotion to the papal throne has determined for many centuries the religious orientation of Germany, making it a Catholic country.

Reformation of religion and the emergence of the national church

In the XVI century, the religion of Germany, namely Roman Catholicism, largely lost its credibility and lost its leading position. This is due to the speech of the Augustinian monk Martin Luther, who rebelled with his theological arguments against a number of abuses of the Catholic Church. The Lutheran movement, originally conceived as a reformation of the church, turned into a separate denomination with a characteristic set of ritual, doctrinal and ethical canons, known as "Protestantism." Almost immediately, it broke up into a series of independent currents, initiating the process of confessional crushing that is still ongoing. The three main branches of Protestantism, which represent the religious face of Germany - the Lutheran, Reformed and Evangelical churches.

The Religion of Fascist Germany

The period of the Nazi dictatorship deserves a separate mention in connection with the historical development of religion on German soil. First, it is connected with the processes of persecution of religious organizations - Christian, pagan and, of course, Jewish. Hitler's program envisaged the complete destruction of the Christian principle in the culture, education and pedagogy of Germany. Secondly, the NSDAP was marked by a number of proposals for alternative religiosity. All such initiatives are divided into two camps, which can be conditionally called ariochristianism and neopaganism.

The first of these theories presupposes a reassessment of Christian values, history and belief in the light of the racial theory of the Nazis. In the field of dogmatics, Christianity completely disassociated itself from Judaic roots, and Christ, according to this teaching, was an Aryan fighter against Jewry. Adolf Hitler also proclaimed himself the new messiah, called to continue the work of the true, Nordic Jesus.

After the failure of the ario-Christian program the leaders of the Reich developed a concept for the revival of ancient paganism on the basis of semi-legendary iriminism. At the same time, categorically rejecting the historical Germanic votanizm, the fascists subjected to repression the non-Nazi pagan institutions, completely destroying them by 1941. However, this attempt to reorganize the spiritual foundations of the country did not have success, and the dominant religion of Germany was still inextricably linked with the Christian churches.

The religious processes in Germany today

Today, the religion of Germany is not represented by a single or main church. The leading positions are shared by Catholics and Lutherans. Each of these religions unites a little more than 30% of the population. About 30% of the inhabitants of this country consider themselves atheists and agnostics. The remaining minority is divided among themselves by Muslims, Christians of other faiths and representatives of other religious movements.

It should also be noted that in modern Germany there is a significant outflow of parishioners from Christian churches. And Protestantism, and Catholicism, and even more and more popular in Europe, Orthodoxy over the past few years, significantly lost weight. At the same time, in the German society there is an intensification of Muslim propaganda. Paganism and Buddhism do not occupy an outstanding position, although they gain popularity among young people. Thus, the main religious trends in modern Germany can be considered dynamic Islamization and atheization of the population.