scholarly journals German Churches in Times of Demographic Change and Declining Affiliation: A Projection to 2060

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Gutmann ◽  
Fabian Peters
Keyword(s):  
Demographic Change ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Church Membership ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
Church Members ◽  
Projection Model ◽  
Protestant Church ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
First Time

The problem of declining membership in Germany’s churches has been apparent for almost half a century. However, few scientific studies have investigated the respective influences of demographic and church-specific phenomena, as well as the potential impact if present trends continue. To answer these questions, we use a cohort component model and project the membership of each German Catholic diocese and Protestant regional church until 2060. Thus, for the first time we present a projection of church members for each of the 27 Catholic (arch-) dioceses and the 20 Protestant regional churches, as well as for the entire Evangelical Church and the Roman Catholic Church in Germany. We collected data from dioceses, Protestant regional churches and the Federal Statistical Office. Under the assumptions made, the results suggest a continued decline in membership and that by 2060 the number of church members would be half the number of 2017. Protestant Church membership would have shrunk slightly more than Catholic Church membership. We can conclude that church-specific factors (baptisms, leaving, and joining the church) would have a stronger influence on declining numbers than demographic factors. Moreover, demographic change would have a greater impact on registered church membership than on the total population. The proportion of Christians in the population would sharply decrease. Although in 2017 54.4 percent of the population belonged to one of the two major churches, according to the projection model, only 31.1 percent would be church members in 2060. As our results are not predictions but projections using trend analysis, we show how changed conditions would affect the projected development in five scenarios.

scholarly journals ’n Kwantitatiewe ondersoek na die invloed van enkele demografiese veranderlikes wat verband hou met vroulike ampsdraers

2013 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Petronella Jonck ◽  
Anda Le Roux ◽  
Lizette Hoffman
Keyword(s):  
Marital Status ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
Dutch Reformed ◽  
Church Members ◽  
Reformed Church ◽  
Academic Qualification

Hierdie artikel ondersoek lidmate se houding teenoor vroulike ampsdraers. Vir die doel van hierdie navorsingsprojek is die volgende navorsingsvraag geformuleer: Wat is kerklidmate se houding teenoor vroue as ampsdraers in die gemeente? Hierdie navorsingsvraag is met behulp van die volgende hipotese ondersoek: Daar is statisties-beduidende verskille tussen kerklidmate se houding teenoor vroulike ampsdraers en ’n aantal demografiese veranderlikes soos die geografiese ligging, die geslag, die huwelikstatus en die ouderdom. ’n Totaal van 1052 respondente bestaande uit 326 (31%) lidmate van die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerkfamilie, 311 (29%) lidmate van die Christelike Herlewingskerk, 217 (21%) lidmate van die Gereformeerde Kerk en 198 (19%) lidmate van die Rooms-Katolieke Kerk is by die ondersoek betrek. Data is met behulp van ’n biografiese vraelys, asook die Petro Jonck Houding teenoor Vroulike Ampsdraers-vraelys ingesamel. Meerveranderlike variansie-ontledings is toegepas. Satistiese analise het getoon dat kerklidmate deurgaans ’n positiewe houding aangaande vroulike ampsdraers aanneem. Verder is gevind dat die geslag, die huwelikstatus en die geografiese ligging die grootste invloed op kerklidmate se houding ten opsigte van vroulike ampsdraers uitgeoefen het. Die opleidingsvlak het geen statisties-beduidende invloed op lidmate se houding teenoor vroulike ampsdraers uitgeoefen nie.This article investigates the attitude of church members towards clergywomen. For the purpose of this research project, the following research question has been formulated: What is church members’ attitude towards clergywomen in the congregation? This research question was explored by means of the following hypothesis: There are statistically significant differences between church members’ attitude towards clergywomen and a number of demographic variables such as geographic location, gender, marital status and age. A total of 1052 respondents that included 326 (31%) members of the Dutch Reformed Church family, 311 (29%) members of the Christian Revival Church, 217 (21%) members of the Reformed Church and 198 (19%) members of the Roman Catholic Church were involved. Data were gathered by means of a biographic questionnaire and the Petro Jonck Attitude towards Female Office-bearers Questionnaire. Multivariate analysis of variance was applied. A statistical analysis indicated that church members assume a positive attitude with regard to female office-bearers. Furthermore, it was concluded that gender, marital status and geographic location exerted the greatest influence on the dependent variable (attitude towards clergywomen) while, academic qualification had no statistically significant influence.

scholarly journals An Irish Solution to an Irish Problem: Catholicism, Contraception and Change, 1922–1979

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
BRIAN GIRVIN
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Turning Point ◽  
Church And State ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
Moral Issues ◽  
Change Policy ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Time

When Ireland became independent in 1922 there was widespread support for the imposition of a moral order that reflected Catholic teaching. This was remarkably successful: divorce was outlawed while contraception was prohibited as part of this process. The consensus on moral issues was challenged for the first time during the 1970s. The legalisation of contraception became the main battlefield between conservatives and liberals. This article analyses successive attempts to change policy and discusses the impact of social and political change in a homogeneous Catholic state. Ireland remained a predominantly religious country and the Roman Catholic Church wielded considerable influence. The controversy over contraception challenged the Church's authority and the society's deeply embedded moral values. For the first time, Irish politics was divided on matters of church and state. Resolution came in 1979, however the legislation reflected the continuing influence of the bishops on policy making. It also highlighted the caution of politicians who remained reluctant to act. In contrast to elsewhere in Western Europe, the legislation was not a turning point but an example of conservative retrenchment. The legislation generated a conservative backlash that successfully imposed traditional Catholic values on Irish society during the 1980s. The main sources used are the archives of the Departments of Justice and Health.

What Does Decolonisation Mean in Bolivia in Relation to the Position of Religion in the Country’s New Legislation and the New Curriculum?

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-143
Author(s):  
Live Danbolt Drange
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
The State ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
Evangelical Churches ◽  
Cultural Boundaries ◽  
Education Act ◽  
The Government ◽  
First Time

The article discusses challenges and obstacles in creating intercultural dialogue and coexistence across religious and cultural boundaries in a society that is ethnically and culturally multi-dimensional. Bolivian society has always been multicultural and multi-ethnic with a majority of indigenous peoples. The Roman Catholic Church has since colonization officially been dominating religious life and political power while evangelical churches have been growing considerably during the last decades. The majority of indigenous peoples have historically been oppressed by an elite of Spanish descent. In the last few decades there has been an ethnic revitalizing and indigenous representatives have for the first time in history gained positions in the government. They have taken an active part in the rewriting of the Constitution and an education act intending to create a more just and equal society under the slogan “decolonize the state”. A new Constitution and Education Act are establishing that the state is secular and that it guarantees freedom of religion and belief at the same time as it is marked by Andean spirituality. This spirituality and the position of religion in society and in education have been topics of controversy in the process of constructing new legislation. In the discussion the Catholic Church, evangelical Christians and indigenous participants advocating traditional Andean spirituality have been participating. I will look in to possible consequences of this Andeanization especially concerning the children’s religious upbringing.

Journeying Towards Multiculturalism? The Relationship between Immigrant Christians and Dutch Indigenous Churches

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha Th. Frederiks ◽  
Nienke Pruiksma
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
Multicultural Society ◽  
Protestant Church ◽  
And Migration ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractDue to globalisation and migration western Europe has become home to adherents of many different religions. This article focuses on one aspect of the changes on the religious scene; it investigates in what way immigration—and Christian immigrant religiosity particularly—has affected the structure and identity of the Dutch Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. We argue that the Roman Catholic Church in the Netherlands has been able to accommodate a substantial group of immigrants whilst the PCN seems to encounter more problems responding to the increasingly multicultural society. We conclude that both churches, however, in structure and theology, remain largely unaffected by the influx of immigrant Christians.

Catholic Moral Theology, 1550–1800

2015 ◽  
pp. 118-134
Author(s):  
Jean-Louis Quantin
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Moral Theology ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
Council Of Trent ◽  
Theoretical Underpinning ◽  
Modern Age ◽  
Course Of Action ◽  
First Time

In the early modern age, for the first time in history, moral theology became a ground of bitter strife within the Roman Catholic Church. After the Council of Trent, it evolved as a specialized discipline with its own methodology, which became increasingly identified with casuistry. The theoretical underpinning of this development was probabilism, the system according to which, when there are two opposite opinions as to the morality of a course of action, one is allowed to follow the less probable one. From about 1650, first of all in Belgium and France, both probabilism and casuistry came under attack as favoring laxity. Rigorism, which was linked to but by no means synonymous with doctrinal Jansenism, progressively spread to the entire Church. The papacy, whose pronouncements on moral matters became increasingly important, shared in this reaction but was careful to preserve theological pluralism.

scholarly journals Transition and Authority

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-114
Author(s):  
Lieke L. Schrijvers
Keyword(s):  
Coming Out ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Queer Studies ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Religious Studies ◽  
The Body ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
Protestant Church ◽  
Sexuality And Religion

Abstract The article presents two case studies of two women who were confronted with a loss of religious authority as they were asked to resign from their lay leading positions after their coming-out as transwomen in the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. By focusing on these stories, this article provides further insight into queer lives in Europe starting from the intersections of gender, sexuality and religion. The cases show how the position of transwomen is negotiated by both religious structures as well as by transwomen themselves. The analysis focuses particularly on the interactions between the women and their community and church authorities and examines the use of gender/sexuality terminology, the role of the body, and the individualization of faith. This article brings together insights from religious studies, gender, trans* and queer studies, which allows for a multi-layered understanding of trans* and religion in a European context.

The Extremities of Defending Liberty

2020 ◽  
pp. 112-135
Author(s):  
D. G. Hart
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Church Membership ◽  
National Origin ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
Social Teaching ◽  
Roman Catholicism ◽  
Yale University ◽  
Conservative Movement

This chapter talks about Barry Goldwater, who regarded William E. Miller's church membership as an asset rather than a liability when he chose him as his running mate in the 1964 presidential election. It describes Miller as the grandson of German American immigrants and reared in the Roman Catholic Church. It also covers Conscience of a Conservative as the ghostwritten product of L. Brent Bozell, which identified Goldwater with the conservative movement and challenged the GOP's East Coast establishment. The chapter notes how Bozell grew up in Nebraska as nominal Protestant then converted to Roman Catholicism before enrolling at Yale University. It discusses how local circumstances, such as national origin and personal convictions, did more to color perceptions of politics than the church's social teaching.

Eugenics and Roman Catholicism An Encyclical Letter in Context: Casti connubii, December 31, 1930

1998 ◽  
Vol 11 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 527-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Etienne Lepicard
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
Religious Institutions ◽  
Roman Catholicism ◽  
Hegemonic Discourse ◽  
The Family ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Individual ◽  
First Time

The ArgumentLittle has been written about religion vis à vis eugenics and, even less on Roman Catholicism and eugenics. A 1930 papal encyclical, Casti connubii, is usually held by historians to have been the official condemnatory view of the Catholic Church on eugenics, and the document is further supposed to have induced the only organized opposition to eugenic legislative efforts in several countries (especially France). In fact, the encyclical was not directly about eugenics but a general statement of the Catholic doctrine on marriage.This article attempts to clarify the issue of a Catholic position on eugenics by re-examining the encyclical itself as well as its contemporaneous reception in Germany and France, where there was a strong Catholic presence. Casti connubii introduced a change in the prescribed hierarchy of the aims of marriage when, for the first time, relations between spouses took precedence over procreation. While condemning the means (abortion, sterilization, etc.), the encyclical did not condemn positive eugenics. In the broader context of the history of eugenics, the reception of the encyclical emphasizes the family as the third entity between the individual and society. Eugenics, as a “religious Utopia” of modernity, developed a hegemonic discourse over the family realm. As such it entered into competition with more traditional religious institutions such as the Roman Catholic Church.

Popes, Saints, Beato Bones and other Images at War

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 337-364
Author(s):  
Kristin Norget
Keyword(s):  
San Francisco ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Moral Authority ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Peripheral Populations ◽  
New Strategy ◽  
Catholic History ◽  
Local Cultures

This article explores new political practices of the Roman Catholic Church by means of a close critical examination of the beatification of the Martyrs of Cajonos, two indigenous men from the Mexican village of San Francisco Cajonos, Oaxaca, in 2002. The Church’s new strategy to promote an upsurge in canonizations and beatifications forms part of a “war of images,” in Serge Gruzinski’s terms, deployed to maintain apparently peripheral populations within the Church’s central paternalistic fold of social and moral authority and influence, while at the same time as it must be seen to remain open to local cultures and realities. In Oaxaca and elsewhere, this ecclesiastical technique of “emplacement” may be understood as an attempt to engage indigenous-popular religious sensibilities and devotion to sacred images while at the same time implicitly trying to contain them, weaving their distinct local historical threads seamlessly into the fabric of a global Catholic history.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document