Religion

In Germany, freedom of religion is anchored in and guaranteed by the country’s constitution, known as the Grundgesetz or Basic Law. Still, this hasn’t prevented the emergence of debates surrounding religious interpretations, religious practices and religious claims to truth. In some debates, religion is used as evidence of seemingly insurmountable differences. At the same time, religion serves as a simplifying, unifying and generalizing explanation for social events. Unfortunately, these approaches fail to acknowledge the diversity of religious communities as well as the diversity within the groups themselves.

In this thematic area, we raise the question of how society deals with diverse religions and worldviews. The digital media archive showcases various media that provide information on different religious communities. To a large extent, the media have been developed by members of the different religious communities themselves.

How diverse is Germany with regard to religion? How does society deal with religion and how is this approach expressed in our cultural and educational institutions? How can voices of minoritized religious communities be strengthened?