Center for Religion and Society
The Center for Religion and Society (ZERG) was founded on July 12, 2005 at the University of Bonn . It is a cross-faculty institution that aims to bundle the competencies available at the university in this area and to focus on the issue of " religion and society ".
The ZERG thus combines the research areas of currently 30 lecturers from the Protestant theological, Catholic theological, philosophical, legal and political science and medical faculties. The Old Catholic Seminary and the Franz Joseph Dölger Institute for the Study of Late Antiquity are also involved in the ZERG. This connects the following disciplines: Egyptology, Old Catholic theology, Christian archeology, German and Rhenish legal history, educational sciences, Protestant theology, German studies, Indology, Catholic theology, medical history, Islamic studies, political science, religious studies, Scandinavian studies, sociology, and prehistoric archeology .
tasks and goals
The task and goal of the ZERG is to research the diverse interactions between the religions and between the religions and their respective (domestic and non-European) reference societies, to train advanced students in this area and to advise the public, especially the media and politics to be available.
background
Religion forms part of a society insofar as members of the society are religious. Religion is in tension with society because it influences and is influenced by it. The religions themselves, in turn, are not homogeneous, but rather differentiated in many ways: In Judaism there are e.g. B. a conservative and a liberal Judaism. In Christianity we know different denominations such as Catholic, Evangelical and Orthodox. In Islam , for example, Sunnis are to be distinguished from Shiites.
Mainly due to migration and conversion, Buddhism and Hinduism as well as smaller Asian religious communities have been gaining a foothold in European societies for around two and a half decades . In addition, a number of mixed forms have established themselves, some of which are derived from the traditional high religions, others - for example Far Eastern - are of origin. The reference societies of the religions are also differentiated in many ways, for example between religious and non-religious people.
Research approach
In its work, the center makes use of findings from confessional and religious interaction research . This assumes that a specific feature of denominational or religious interaction can be analytically isolated, which underlies and controls the clash of denominations or religions, but also the clash of religion and non-religion (atheism, agnosticism, religious indifference) . The ZERG ties in with this.
Such an analytical description leads to a better understanding of the social, political and cultural effects of the clash of denominations and religions and of religion and non-religion. The results enable advice on decision-making processes in social, political and cultural control, for example in the areas of cultural, social and school policy.
Due to the complexity of the field of phenomena, it makes sense to differentiate the work of the center into two major areas of responsibility:
Subject area A: Denominational interaction
The subject here is the internal differentiation of Christianity as the European majority religion and the relationship of Christianity to European societies (taking into account the effects on the non-European area).
Subject area B: Religious interaction
The subject here are the other monotheistic religions of Judaism and Islam that can be found in Europe and their interaction with one another as well as with Christianity and their respective reference societies, but also with non-European religions.
In view of the current global political situation, special attention should be paid to the question of radicalization and domestication of religions and their effects on the reference societies in both subject areas. The legal aspects of the problem (legal framework for the relationship between religious communities and the state) should also receive increased attention.
Master's degree in Ecumenical Studies
The one-year Master’s degree in Ecumenical Studies (MESt) provides students with knowledge and familiarity with their own and other traditions of Christianity. Due to the fact that the international theological discourse relates to a considerable extent to German-language theology, foreign students in particular should be made familiar with the special tradition of German-language theology.
The courses are held in English. This should make studying easier for foreign students. For the international students of the MESt, optional, study-accompanying German courses are set up.
The program is offered by the Evangelical Theological Faculty in cooperation with the Center for Religion and Society (ZERG) of the University of Bonn. For the first time in Germany, Protestant, Catholic, Old Catholic and Greek Orthodox teachers are teaching together as part of a master’s degree. Scholars from the philosophical and law and political science faculties also contribute to the range of courses offered by the MESt.
The Master’s degree in Ecumenical Studies began in the 2007/2008 winter semester. Successful graduates are awarded the Master of Arts (MA) degree .