Social religion

The political economist, sociologist and cultural philosopher Alfred Weber coined the term social religions in 1949 . Weber understands it to be the leading ideologies of modernity, which after the Enlightenment and secularization replaced the transcendental religions in this function. The sociologist of work and religion, Friedrich Fürstenberg , took up this term in 1982 in his essay: The trend towards social religion and referred to socially committed forms of belief as social religion , which combine religious traditions and world views with social change, the emerging ecumenism and modern social management . The investigation of the connection between the social and the religious forms a topic of the sociology of religion . Social religion is a political-sociological concept that goes beyond this subject-sociological context . In 1999, Fürstenberg published his book Future of Social Religion with a detailed analysis and prognostic.

Alfred Weber had already understood social religions as central political ideologies and assigned them to political “power structures”. In connection with his description of the two power blocs after the Second World War , he places two other, historically new "social religions" in addition to democratic capitalism: the " Soviet-communist social religion " and the European or "democratic-socialist social religion".

Origin background

The experience of the Christian churches in Europe with what they saw as a secular world led to a gradual embedding of their values in partially secularized organizational patterns according to the current state of social modernization . A development of the church as a "conviction to a service organization" took place - albeit not without contradictions. Discussions about a “political mandate” for the churches, especially following the wedding of the APO , and the resurgence of a political theology testified and still testify in part to a socio-political activation of institutionalized religion. The official churches persist with their representation and publicity claim, but at the same time endeavor to integrate individualized and privatized religiosity as well as active groups that are aimed at social change . They do this in particular through personal services and social design impulses.

definition

In the middle of the last century, according to Fürstenberg, a denominationally differentiated social religion with a Christian character was established to some extent in the Federal Republic of Germany, also supported by state privileges . Fürstenberg defines the term as follows: “This refers to the (...) social form of religion , which partly includes the adaptation of the churches to the pluralistic value horizon by emphasizing the activities in a ' diaconal ' social space largely free of religious decisions, partly the activation of the church people through social-religious initiatives . All of this takes place in front of a horizon of meaning that is ecumenically oriented towards basic cultural values ​​with a broad consensus. "

J. Casanova delimits the term twice: On the one hand from the term secular religion or this world religion , which is characterized by the lack of a transcendental bond. And on the other hand, from the term civil religion , which refers to the value attachment of a political community. In this respect, according to J. Casanova, social religion in the narrower sense refers to the change in form of institutionalized, denominational religion and the opening of a religiously relevant discourse in a public that is largely characterized by secularization.

Frequency of publication

Essential characteristics of a social religion understood in this way are:

• Appreciation of social functions with a corresponding shift in emphasis from pastoral care to welfare, from pastoral care to diakonia;
• Tendency to de-institutionalize individual religiosity with increasing community ties of public manifestations ( Protestant Church Congress , Catholic Congress , etc.);
• a politicization tendency through a proclamation directed more and more towards the shaping of social reality up to the blessing of work tools on the one hand and declarations of solidarity for rebelling freedom fighters in developing countries on the other.

Development tendencies

According to Fürstenberg, the further development of this social religion, represented by the two largest Christian denominations , is particularly evident in two manifestations that are effective in the media: the association aspect, i.e. in the Catholic area social association Catholicism, in Protestantism, among other things, the institutions of the diaconal work , and the movement aspect, i.e. the Catholic social movement and the socio-political initiatives in Protestantism such as the Protestant student communities . A social religion, if it symbolically and ritually exaggerated the existing social structures , could, however, also regress into an ethnic and cultural “special form”.

Critique of Social Religion

Church history

Since John Wesley , social engagement for Methodist and Wesleyan churches has been part of being Christian and of the church. Methodist churches often have local social services for which they take personal and financial responsibility. In the Methodist network, social works or social projects of local churches are supported internationally. The World Council of Methodist Churches brings together Lutherans, Reformed, Baptists and the Pentecostal movement, the largest Protestant churches worldwide.

As early as 1908, the Methodist Episcopal Church adopted a social commitment in which it committed itself to social engagement:

The Methodist Episcopal Church enters ...

• for equal rights and complete justice for all people at all stages of their lives.
• for the principle of advice and arbitration in the event of disagreement in the industry.
• for the protection of workers from dangerous machines, from occupational diseases, injuries and deaths.
• for the abolition of child labor.
• for a regulation of working conditions for women that ensures the physical and moral health of society.
• for the abolition of the system of exploitation.
• for the gradual, reasonable reduction of working hours to the lowest practicable point, combined with work for all, which is necessary for a truly human life.
• for one day off a week.
• for a sufficient living wage in all branches of industry.
• for the highest possible wage for the respective branch of industry and for the most attainable distribution of industrial products.

Methodists were and are often involved in interdenominational social projects. The Methodist and Wesleyan churches theologically agree on most points with the conservative Protestant mainstream , but there are many progressive Methodists. In general, Methodists do not seek to distinguish themselves from other churches through their theology. The connection between social religion and secularization cannot be adequately proven empirically. As demonstrated by Methodism and the Protestant churches in the Wesleyan tradition. Rather, these are shaped by Pietism , which is far removed from forms of secularization.

Service Church and Forms of Piety

The Diakonische Werke and student communities are also no general evidence of a secularized service church. Within the diaconal works, forms of piety are certainly cultivated, such as daily prayer and church services. After all, the student communities are by no means "one-dimensional" secular; they are set up plural and maintain piety rituals in the core of the congregation in the form of devotions, Bible studies, prayer, leisure time and pastoral care. For example, the former student pastor Johannes Friedrich should be mentioned . He cultivated the diversity of church life not only as a bishop but also as a student pastor.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Alfred Weber, Kulturgeschichte als Kultursoziologie, Leiden: Sijthoff 1935, p. 423
2. ↑ Ebertz 1998
3. ↑ Böckenförde 1973
4. ↑ Fürstenberg 1999, p. 91
5. ↑ Alfred Weber's formation of the term “social religions” included this meaning.

literature

• Böckenförde, Ernst-Wolfgang: Church mandate and political decision. Rombach, Freiburg 1973, ISBN 3-7930-0975-0
• Casanova, José: Public Religions in the Modern World. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1994, ISBN 0226095355
• Michael N. Ebertz  : Erosion of the sanctuary? On the change in the social form of the church. Knecht, Frankfurt / M. 1998, ISBN 3-7820-0808-1
• Fürstenberg, Friedrich: The trend towards social religion, in: Gemper, BB (Ed.), Religion and responsibility as elements of social order. Vorländer, Siegen 1982; 1983² ISBN 3-923483-00-7
• Fürstenberg, Friedrich: The future of the social religion. Publishing information , UVK, Konstanz 1999, ISBN 3-87940-691-X
• Fürstenberg, Friedrich: The value discourse in civil society. On the way to a civil religion ? In: Nollmann, G./Strasser, H .: What do you believe in? Religion between the Kulturkampf and the search for meaning. Klartext, Essen 2007 ISBN 978-3-89861-794-9
• Gabriel, Karl (Ed.): Challenges of Church Welfare Associations. Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-428-10248-7 . [1]
• Weber, Alfred: cultural history as cultural sociology . Leiden: Sijthoff 1935.
• Weber, Alfred: past and present . In: The Month, 14/1949, pp. 145–148 [2]
• Wunder, Edgar: Religion in the post-denominational society. Steiner, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 978-3-515-08772-8
• The future of social religion. Religion and politics in conflict. In: sociology today, volume 2, issue 3, February 2009 ( ISSN  2070-4674 ), PDF