Faith without God, life without religion and humanistic guidance for members of the post-religious society – the latest cover stories in the news magazine DER SPIEGEL and the weekly newspaper DIE ZEIT clearly showed that the ideological landscape in Germany and other Western countries is undergoing profound changes.
New studies underline this: 29% of the population in Germany lead a self-determined life that is based on ethical and moral convictions and is free from religion and belief in a god. This is the result of a representative survey recently conducted by the opinion research institute TNS Emnid on behalf of the Humanist Association of Germany. A further 35 percent stated that this was “rather” true for them. Only a good third (34%) of respondents stated that this was “not at all” or “not at all” true. The survey results thus initially confirm the great extent of social secularization that already exists in Germany today. Just under 60 percent belong to one of the major Christian denominations. However, it is clearly not the truths of faith or religious convictions that bind many church members. In all regions, a clear majority of respondents stated that they live their lives completely or largely without religion or belief in a god. Even in federal states with high denominational ties, such as Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and Baden-Württemberg, an average of two-thirds of respondents “somewhat” or “completely” agreed with the statement. The survey provided surprising results on the question of whether people who do not belong to any religion or denomination need a lobby in the form of a non-religious and ethically and morally based alternative to the Christian churches. The Humanist Association of Germany sees itself as such. It is a recognized worldview community of non-denominational people who offer a wide range of educational, social and cultural services, including non-religious ceremonies for life changes such as naming ceremonies, youth ceremonies and funerals. In the survey, 31% of participants thought that non-denominational and non-religious people need an interest group such as the Humanist Association, while 8% were undecided. Agreement was particularly high among people up to the age of 29 and those over 60. It is also striking that, at 33%, a significantly higher proportion of respondents in the old federal states share this view. In the former GDR, on the other hand, only around one in five supported the concept. The results are surprising in view of the comparatively low membership figures of the Humanist Association, which is used by around 250,000 people a year in the capital region alone thanks to its numerous projects and services. This is because, with around 20,000 members in twelve regional associations across Germany, only a small fraction of the German population has organized itself in the association to date, relatively less than in Norway, for example, which has a population of around five million. The Scandinavian sister association Human-Etisk Forbund currently has more than 80,000 members. However, surprisingly high approval ratings were not only found when it came to the question of the fundamental need for an alternative and representation of interests for non-religious people.
In the survey, more than one in five (22%) also stated that they could imagine supporting the cultural and social services of the Humanist Association of Germany through membership, donations or voluntary work. At 24 percent, the approval rate in the new federal states was slightly higher than in the old federal states, where 21 percent said the same. The general approval rate was above average among younger and female respondents. The President of the Humanist Association, Frieder Otto Wolf, assessed the results of the survey as an “encouraging sign” for the orientation in the coming years. “The new figures confirm the many years of direct experience that the population is generally very open to our joint work. They are also suitable for disproving the widespread prejudice that non-religious people share no interest in positive and secular alternatives to the services and offers of traditional religious communities.” Wolf went on to say that in a pluralistic, functionally differentiated society that is strongly influenced by economic utility considerations, it cannot be expected in the future that a large proportion of the population will be directly committed to the diverse tasks and concerns of the association. “The representation of interests and practical support for people without and regardless of their religion, whether in concrete projects and services on site, with political bodies or even through practical help in less secular societies, will remain challenging and important activities to which only a small proportion of all people are willing to dedicate themselves.” Nevertheless, the survey results make it clear that there is considerable potential to expand the scope of activities based on a non-religious humanist worldview that sees itself as a positive alternative to the Christian churches or other denominations. “Tapping into this potential is urgently needed if the many forms of discrimination and exclusion that people without a belief in God are still confronted with on a daily basis are to be reduced,” Wolf concluded.
