Ulrich Riegel

Europe: A Post-secular Society?

Abstract In this essay, the authors review and analyze the phenomena identified with secularity and the concept of post-secularity as they are expressed and theorized in Europe. The essay makes a theoretical distinction among the concepts of non-secular, secular, and post-secular, and the authors explore how far these concepts relate to the secularisation debate in Europe when religion is seen not only as an individual practise but also as a public phenomenon. The analysis reveals that religion is related to the social dynamics of European societies in complex ways. Christian religions cannot be reduced to a privately spiritual dimension, but are also related to the public sphere. Practical theologians are challenged to understand these multi-faceted relationships of religion and society, and to explore the possibilities and limitations for religious practice. Zusammenfassung In ihrem Beitrag beschreiben und analysieren die Autoren die Phänomene, die mit dem Begriff der Säkularisierung und dem Konzept der Post-Säkularisierung erfasst und in Europa verfasst und reflektiert werden. Der Aufsatz differenziert in theoretischer Hinsicht diejenigen Ansätze, die die Begriffe nicht-säkular, säkular und post-säkular führen. Dabei erkunden die Autoren, inwiefern diese Konzepte im Zusammenhang mit der Säkularisierungsdebatte in Europa stehen, wenn Religion nicht nur als individuelle religiöse Praxis, sondern auch als öffentliches Phänomen in den Blick gerät. Die Analyse zeigt, dass Religion in komplexen Beziehungen zu sozialen Prozessen der europäischen Gesellschaften steht. Christliche Religionen sind dabei nicht einfach auf die Dimension privater Spiritualität zu reduzieren, sondern zeigen ebenfalls vielfache Verbindungen in den öffentlichen Raum. Praktische Theologen sind deshalb dazu herausgefordert, diese vielseitigen Beziehungen von Religion und Gesellschaft zu verstehen sowie die Chancen und Grenzen religiöser Praxis in dieser Situation auszuloten.

Religious Education and Values

This article looks at the kind of religious education that young people want and their value orientations. The data comes from a survey in questionnaire form that was administered to 1925 adolescents (mean age 17.8), of whom 55% were female. As well, 50% of respondents were Roman Catholic, 25% were Lutheran, and 22% reported belonging to no religious community. Essentially the young respondents expressed a wish for religious education that provides objective information about the different religions and encourages them to find answers to important life questions. With the acceptance of family and self-management value dimensions, acceptance of monoreligious instruction also increases. Strong autonomy values, on the other hand, correlate with acceptance of multireligious education. Religious education is rejected altogether by young people who express hedonistic values and want to be always up to date with the latest technology.

God in the Mirror of Sex Category and Gender. An Empirical-Theological Approach To Representations of God

Most findings of previous empirical studies on sex-typed or gendered God representations depict the bipolar structure of femaleness versus maleness. This leads one to ask whether these findings reproduce the common sex/gender system. In this article a two-dimensional model of sex category and gender will be developed that is not based on this system. It takes sex category and gender as two modes of perception and representation within the discourse of sex and gender, sex category representing a bipolar form of logic, gender a manifold one. This model offers an approach towards God representations that is rooted theoretically in recent gender studies and conceptually covers all conceivable types of representations within the discourse of sex and gender. Two examples – a qualitative and a quantitative one – demonstrate the empirical utility of this model: The findings do not reproduce the sex/gender system.

The Impact of Participatory Learning on Attitude: A Quasi-Experimental Study in German Primary Schools

Participatory learning is one way for religious education at school to deal with students’ lack of religious experience. In this paper we analyze the impact of participatory learning on the attitude of students towards church buildings. We engaged 594 third graders (about 8 years old) in German primary schools in an instructional sequence about this building. We assigned students to two groups following different instructional techniques, namely field trips to the local church and multi-sensory methods in the classroom. Both learning environments realized the concept of participatory learning. Before and after the sequence we had all students fill in a questionnaire and answer eight questions from which we infer their attitude towards church buildings. Our results indicate that participatory learning has the power to affect the students’ attitude. However, these changes are independent of the instructional technique.

A typology of religious attitudes among young people in Germany

Issues like faith and Church, religion and religiousness are not valued particularly highly among the young. At the same time a search for the meaning of life and an orientation in one’s own behaviour still seem to be significant and transcendent focal points are being sought to deal with these issues. This article questions the value that religion, faith and the Church have for young people on the basis of empirical data. Five types of religious orientation of young people are identified: a churchly Christian type, an autonomously Christian type, a conventionally religious type, an autonomously religious type and, finally, a non‐religious type. The empirical data are taken from a study of about 800 pupils in the Grade 11 (age 16–17 years) from grammar schools (Gymnasien) in Germany.

Experiencing churches as spiritual and religious places: a study on children’s emotions in church buildings during scholastic field trips

Abstract Going on a field trip to the church, pupils can experience lived religion. But how do they feel during such a church visit? In this paper, we analyse statements of 516 German third graders (about 8 years old) made after they had visited their local church on a field trip. Using affective schema theory, we develop a conceptual model of emotions in churches that serves as theoretical framework for our quantitative content analysis. All in all, the vast majority of the participants report about positive feelings during their church visit. Moreover, it is one-third of the children who show spiritual or religious references in their statements. They talk about personal peace and comfort during the visit, or describe the church as a place to pray and experience the presence of God. Regression analysis identifies that it is the religiously educated children who express such references. Furthermore, children with high centrality of religiosity tend to choose traditional religious concepts, symbols and practices to express reference. These results are mostly in line with relevant theory from sociology of religion and primarily support the concept of subjective turn in religion.

Tracing Informal Religious Learning

In religious education informal learning is hardly regarded. The transmission of religion to the next generation is discussed under the term socialization. In this article, we present findings of a study in Primary Schools observing the outcomes of religious learning outside formal settings. We asked third graders about their knowledge about, interest in and attitude towards church buildings before passing a formal curriculum on that topic. Our findings about the children’s expertise on church buildings reveal that religious socialization helps to explain the affective access to the church, whereas its impact on the cognitive dimension is not noteworthy. This shows a research gap in religious education that the concept of informal learning could fill. Zusammenfassung: In der Religionspädagogik finden Prozesse informellen Lernens bisher kaum Beachtung. Die Vermittlung von Religion zum Nächsten wird bisher unter dem Begriff der Sozialisation diskutiert. In diesem Artikel werden die Ergebnisse einer Studie in Grundschulen vorgestellt, die religiöses Lernens außerhalb von formalen Settings analysiert. Darin wurden Drittklässler über ihre Fachkenntnisse, ihr Interesse an und ihre Einstellung gegenüber Kirchengebäuden befragt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass religiöse Sozialisation zwar helfen kann, den affektiven Zugang zur Kirche zu beschreiben, jedoch im Bereich eines kognitiven Zugangs wenig Einfluss ausübt. Diese Einsicht verweist auf eine Forschungslücke in der Religionspädagogik, die mithilfe des Konzepts des informellen Lernens geschlossen werden könnte. Most of the research on religious learning is about religious learning at school. Pupils however are no blank slates when they enter programs of religious educaProf. Dr. Ulrich Riegel: Lehrstuhl für Praktische Theologie und Religionspädagogik, Universität Siegen, Adolf-Reichwein-Straße 2, 57068 Siegen, Email: ulrich.riegel@uni-siegen.de Katharina Kindermann: Lehrstuhl für Praktische Theologie und Religionspädagogik, Universität Siegen, Adolf-Reichwein-Straße 2, 57068 Siegen, Email: katharina.kindermann@uni-siegen.de IJPT 2015; 19(1): 122–137

What should religious education in Germany be about and how does religiosity fit into this picture? An empirical study of pre-service religious education teachers’ beliefs on the aims of RE

In secularising Germany the aim of religious education (RE) is under discussion. The churches opt for denominational education familiarising the students with their own religious tradition. Humanists claim an ethical education, giving students objective information about different religions. Which perspective do students who will become RE teachers take in this discussion? Does their religiosity affect this perspective? All over Germany 1828 first-year students (with an average age of 21; 81% females; 72% Catholic and 28% Protestant) completed a relevant questionnaire. The respondents favour a RE which offers objective information. Most of them are pluralist thinkers in religious terms and show a moderate religious practice. The more relativist the students are thinking in religious terms, the more they tend to favour objective information. These findings challenge the churches’ perspective on RE, because even future RE teachers do not agree with the churches’ ideal on RE. A reformulation of this approach on cognitive level will be discussed.

Holiday Instead of Holy Day? A Qualitative Inquiry on the Spiritual Quality of People’s Activities on Sunday

AbstractDaily routine on Sunday is changing. Formerly a day of religious contemplation, Sunday seems to be a day of rest within the family. Does this change in activities done on a typical Sunday imply an end of spiritual quality? To answer this question this paper conceptualizes spirituality as experience of connectedness to some greater reality which is regarded as important and meaningful. Four options are possible concerning this greater reality: a transcendent reality, nature or cosmos, mankind, or the individual’s self. The data has been collected by semi-structured interview and analyzed by qualitative content analysis. 148 individuals did take part in these interviews (57% females, age range: 7 to 59; 64% Catholics and 22% Protestants). The findings point at Sunday spent with family. Further on we could identify activities representing all four types of spirituality. Together these examples point at the conclusion that Sunday still is a special day within the week. Its activities offer spiritual quality, but it is the individual to reassure it.

Die Post-Critical Belief-Scale. Ein geeignetes Instrument zur Erfassung von Religiosität theologisch informierter Individuen?

In den 1990er Jahren hat das Team um den Lowener Religionspsychologen Dirk Hutsebaut die „Post-Critical Belief-Scale“ (PCB) vorgelegt, die auf dem Typologiemodell moderner Religiositat von David Wulff beruht. Das Modell will der pluralistischen Verfasstheit von Religiositat in modernen westlichen Gesellschaften gerecht werden.