In an interview with hpd on September 24, 2021, KORSO Chairman Rainer Rosenzweig confirms that the Central Council wants to represent the interests of all non-denominational people in Germany. This is a claim that cannot be fulfilled.
Secular organizations that stand in a tradition critical of religion have always liked to claim to represent the interests of non-denominational people. The HVD has also made this claim in the past, but has limited this claim to representation in its most recent reform of its statutes: “The Federal Association stands up for the interests and rights of its member organizations as well as those non-denominational people in Germany who recognize the central principles of the humanist confession for themselves (confessional members).”(Statutes 2020)
When the Central Council states “huge approval ratings for our beliefs” that “far exceed the 40 percent of non-denominationals”, it is adorning itself with other people’s feathers. However, on the “issues of church finances, abortion, religious education or self-determination at the end of life”, which he cites as examples, there is no division of interests between denominational and non-denominational people in Germany. With regard to the issue of self-determination at the end of life, we know that for many years around 70 percent of those surveyed have supported the right to resort to assisted suicide in an emergency. Most religious people also claim this for themselves. Otherwise the percentage would not be justifiable. The situation is similar when it comes to abortion, where an overwhelming majority of women are in favour of liberalization. Opinions differ as to what this liberalization could look like in concrete terms (keyword: time limit solution) – among both religious and non-religious women. However, concrete proposals must be formulated in detail so that political impact can be achieved and the decision-making process can be shaped. Without this concretization, high approval ratings stand on feet of clay and are hardly reliable.
When it comes to religious education, there are many considerations about the future of denominational teaching. There can be no question of unified interests, even among non-denominational groups. While many secular activists want to ban all religious and ideological instruction from schools, the parents of over 70,000 pupils in Berlin have voluntarily opted for lessons in Humanistic Life Studies, a worldview-based course offered by the HVD.
Unity is good, but unity must be based on clarity. We will certainly be pulling in the same direction as the Central Council of Nondenominationals in various areas. If we are pursuing the same goal, that is a good thing. However, we will also continue to go our own way and forge alliances as they arise from the humanist cause. The bottom line is that a Central Council can only speak for those who have given it the mandate to do so. The potential strength of a “Central Council” structure will undoubtedly not result from the new name itself, but will be determined by how substantial, capable of winning a majority and politically viable the positions it represents are.
