church – |Marginalien

Queere Religiosität

Über die strukturelle Inklusion von LSBTIQ* in der evangelischen und römisch-katholischen Kirche in Deutschland

Eine Regenbogenflagge vor der Trinity Church in New York City — (c) bumblee-dee via Canva Pro

Seit einigen Jahren zeichnet sich in Deutschland ein immer stärkerer Einstellungswandel gegenüber Menschen ab, die sich als LSBTIQ*^[1] identifizieren. Die wachsende Akzeptanz in der Gesellschaft und auch ein politisches Umdenken sind an der Einführung der sogenannten „Ehe für alle“ und des dritten Geschlechts zu beobachten. Auch Glaubensgemeinschaften unterliegen diesen gesamtgesellschaftlichen Entwicklungen und müssen sich in ihrem Umgang mit diesen Lebensformen neu positionieren. Dabei spaltet der Diskurs um das binäre und heteronormative Weltbild viele Religionen. Vor allem die christlichen Großkirchen in Deutschland, welche im Fokus meiner Arbeit „Queere Religiosität“ stehen, verdeutlichen die unterschiedlichen Positionen und den Umgang mit gläubigen LSBTIQ*^[2]. „Queere Religiosität“ weiterlesen

Is Sacredness in the Eye of the Beholder? A Thought Experiment on the Sacredness of Space

When I visit a new city, I almost always visit one of its prominent churches. For this, I am no exception: A lot of people, non-Christians and Christians alike, like to visit churches, for instance while on vacation. Although most official church members are not regular churchgoers anymore, they nevertheless feel attracted to church buildings. „Is Sacredness in the Eye of the Beholder? A Thought Experiment on the Sacredness of Space“ weiterlesen

Private Candles in German Protestant Churches

It is now commonplace in German Protestant churches to find private, non-liturgical candles burning in wordless prayer. These candles, lit by individuals who might spend little time in church themselves, represent a transformation of classical Protestantism that highlights shifts between public (congregational) and private (individual) religiosity, and perhaps between what we might call “institutional theology” and “individualistic spirituality.” If Martin Luther (1483-1546) were to visit a Protestant church in present-day Germany, he might be shocked to see the new forms of spirituality that have emerged there. Seeing the candles, Luther might be relieved to notice that the church had no statues, that the candles were lit before plain walls. However, he might be puzzled that the next Protestant church contains a huge statue of the Virgin Mary looking out onto a similar sea of candles and flyers filled with prayers and poetry. But, perhaps on further reflection, he might recognize in such practices some aspect of the Protestant Reformation that he began: namely, he recognize at the core of such practices an echo of the Reformation’s erasure of spiritual hierarchy and the dissolution of centralized power to grant or deny access to God.

„Private Candles in German Protestant Churches“ weiterlesen