Johannes Neumann (Canon Lawyer)

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Johannes Neumann (born November 23, 1929 in Königsberg ; † May 5, 2013 in Oberkirch ) was a German sociologist , canon lawyer and former Roman Catholic theologian , who was best known for his internal church criticism of the Catholic Church system.

Life

Neumann initially worked as a Roman Catholic theologian and since 1966 professor for canon law at the Catholic Theological Faculty of the Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen , of which he was also rector from 1971 to 1972. Through his work he increasingly recognized the contradictions in the religions. Neumann was committed to u. a. for co-determination of lay people, equal rights for women, mixed marriage practice and divorce law. Since Neumann came to the conclusion that the Catholic Church could not be reformed in principle, the break finally came in 1977. Neumann returned his Missio canonica and resigned from the church.

Since 1978 Neumann has been a professor for the sociology of law and religion in the behavioral sciences department at the University of Tübingen. One of his main focuses in research and teaching was Germany's social policy . Since 1985 Neumann has also taught as an honorary professor for canon law and state church law at the law faculty of the University of Mannheim. In 1982, under his aegis, the center for interdisciplinary research into the living environment of people with disabilities (ZIEL) was established, and he was its spokesperson until 1996. In 1987 he was one of the co-founders of the social science university-related Research Institute for Work, Technology and Culture (FATK), of which he was chairman from 1988 to 1997. His retirement took place in 1995.

Neumann was a founding member and first chairman of the International Erich Fromm Society , was on the advisory board of the International Association of Non-Denominational and Atheists (IBKA) and the Giordano Bruno Foundation . He campaigned for the separation of state and church , against the privileges of the large churches and disadvantages of the smaller religious and ideological groups. He and his wife Ursula were awarded the Erwin Fischer Prize by the IBKA in 2000 for their fight against discrimination in ethics teaching.

The 300-page book Humanism and Church Criticism was published posthumously in 2019 as Volume 5 of the “Humanismusperspektiven” series . Contributions to the education . In addition to a biographical and bibliographic study by Theodor W. bein and an afterword by Ursula Neumann, it mainly contains texts by Johannes Neumann. In terms of content, the bridging between West and East German humanists and their associations and ideological strategies is examined. It is noteworthy that despite all the angular church criticism Neumann does not turn out to be a polemicist, but always argues objectively.

literature

  • Johannes Neumann , in: Kürschner's German Scholars Calendar 2003. 19th edition. Volume II: K - Scho. Bio-bibliographical directory of contemporary German-speaking scientists . KG Saur, Munich 2003, ISBN 3-598-23607-7 , p. 2340
  • Ursula Neumann, the canon law professor accepts reason, becomes happy with me and dies , BoD - Books on Demand, 2017, ISBN 9-783-7448-0325-0.

Selection of works

  • The giver of Confirmation in the Church of the West until the end of ecclesiastical antiquity. A legal historical investigation , Kyrios-Verlag, Meitingen 1963.
  • On hope. A collection of ecumenical thoughts. Kyrios-Verlag, Meitingen 1964.
  • The Church and Church Authority in the Teaching of German Canon Law from the End of the Enlightenment to the First Vatican Council , Habilitation Thesis, Munich 1965.
  • 'Mixed marriage' and canon law. Canonical marriage law, dividing chasm or cause for reflection , Echter-Verlag, Würzburg 1967.
  • (together with Johannes Günter Gerhartz and Walter Kasper): No basic law of the church without the consent of Christians. Grünewald-Verlag 1971.
  • Church law, chance and temptation , Styria, Graz 1972, ISBN 3-222-10724-6 .
  • Synodal principle. The greater scope in canon law , Herder, Freiburg 1973, ISBN 3-451-16870-7 .
  • Human rights also in the church? , Benziger, Zurich 1976.
  • Outline of Catholic canon law. Scientific Book Society , Darmstadt 1981.
  • (together with Ursula Neumann): Reason and responsibility. In: What I believe in , ed. v. Karlheinz Deschner, Gütersloh 1990, pp. 190–199.
  • On the social position, development and change of modern atheism . In: Enlightenment and Criticism . Issue 1, 1995, pp. 80-99 ( online ).
  • Series of publications of the Free Academy , especially volumes 3, 5, 12, 15, 18, 21 and 22 ( online ).
    • z. B. Volume 12: Society and Religion. To introduce the topic. Preface, Falkensee 1991, ISBN 3923834101 (May 1989 conference).
  • Humanism and Church Criticism. Contributions to the education . Edited by Horst Groschopp , Alibri Verlag , Aschaffenburg 2019, ISBN 978-3-86569-288-7 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Von der Kirchenkritik zum Humanismus , hpd , published and accessed May 2, 2019
personal data
SURNAME Neumann, Johannes
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German sociologist, canon lawyer and former Roman Catholic theologian
DATE OF BIRTH November 23, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH Koenigsberg
DATE OF DEATH May 5, 2013
Place of death Oberkirch