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?:abstract
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"Europe is an exceptional continent on the world religious map, and German illustrates that exceptionality. The other continents have historically been dynamic and very diverse in religious terms: in Africa, for example, Christianity and Islam exist alongside indigenous religions, while in Asia, Jewish, Christian, and Islamic communities coexist with Hindu religions, Buddhism, and traditional Chinese religion. Europe, by contrast, has long been dominated by Christian; and yet the religious landscape, including in Germany, has always been more colorful than it seems. A recent growth in religiosity without formal religious affiliation, alongside the increased visibility of smaller religious communities, has made this diversity more visible. It has been further enhanced by immigration, the emergence of new religions, and the establishment of divergent theological currents within the mainline Christian churches. This chapter offers an historical overview of religious developments in Germany over the last century before looking at the current religious situation and highlighting religious trends. Statistical data is used where available. Due to the legal conditions governing state-church relations in Germany, the two major Christian churches and some other religious communities have the status of public bodies, are organized well by formal membership and are financed by a church tax (Kirchensteuer) that is collected as part of general taxation. Formal membership starts with baptism, and people can choose to leave on reaching religious maturity at the age of 14. This explains why statistical data is more available in Germany than in other countries, although not for all religious communities. In the case of the later, adherence has to be estimated."Daten des ALLBUS bis 2012 werden verwendet, um die verschiedenen Dimensionen der Religiosität darzustellen.
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