Annette Schavan

Preamble – The Reference to God as a Stimulus for Freedom

The German Basic Law (“Grundgesetz”) is the constitution of a state that professes ideological neutrality as regards religion. The State is thus open to all religions and confessions. It desires to be home to all citizens, regardless of their religion. As a result, it is out of the question that the State would obligate its citizens to have a certain religion or to hold a specific view of God by means of the reference to God in its preamble. At the same time, this reference means that the State is not blind to the convictions of its citizens, practicing rather an open and supportive neutrality. This neutrality is immediately connected to religious freedom, which it actively promotes. This freedom means that everyone is free to believe or not believe. The State’s self-conception is shaped by what Pope John Paul II said in 1998 in Havana when he recalled “that a modern state cannot make atheism or religion one of its political ordinances” (quoted in: Bakalar/Balkin 2001, p. 3).

The reference to God in the preamble to the German Basic Law not only testifies to the State’s self-conception, it also signifies an understanding of religion as a liberating force. Religion does not promote restriction, but rather creates room for freedom. The reference to God establishes freedom and describes a duty simultaneously. The duty meant is that, in our society, it is not only the State and its citizens that are accountable to each other; rather, the State and the community have a common responsibility before an authority surpassing everything governmental. This is a reminder as to the limits of the State’s legislative power. Both of these ideas, the relativity of state power and the community of responsibility, are fundamentally Christian notions. They are directly related to the Basic Law’s idea of mankind. A citizen is never merely an object of government action. The legal system protects any citizen from being turned into a mere object by governmental or societal power. It is this concept that guarantees the inviolable core of self-determination as it is expressed in the Fundamental Rights (“Grund-rechte ”).

The reference to God in the preamble to the Basic Law is therefore fundamental as a stimulus for freedom to the Christian understanding of humankind as it has emerged since the Enlightenment. The self-conception of Christianity as realized in personal confession simultaneously lays the foundation for tolerance. This precept of tolerance may, at first glance, seem like a relativization of Scripture ; upon closer consideration, however, it will prove itself as the fulfillment of religion. Given this understanding, the State is not required to demand of its citizens that they endorse a certain religion, the Christian creed. Rather, it calls for the State’s humility concerning the religious convictions of its citizens. Christianity belongs to the cultural foundation of our society and obligates the State to respect the religious roots of its own culture.

The passage through the conflict-laden European history until the recognition of religious freedom; the consideration of the founding history of the German Federal Republic and its Basic Law, including the reference to God as a stimulus for freedom in its preamble; as well as the self-understanding of Christianity and its realization in personal confession – these are a good foundation in times of increased religious plurality in Germany and many other modern societies. It pertains to their understanding of freedom to create room for such religious confession in private and public spaces, to show consideration for the culturally formative sources, and the sources of moral principles for the community’s citizens. The state does not demand religion. It has a protective function as regards the religious confession of its citizens. The culturally formative power of Christianity in the Western world is based on its ability to have developed the precept of tolerance as an expression of its own self-conception. The focus on meaningfulness and the commitment to values deriving from the Christian tradition have shaped our culture, especially regarding the special position of the individual and its inviolable dignity, its freedom and capacity for taking responsibility.

In its various denominations, Christianity professes the acceptance of democracy as the self-realization of the Christian self-conception. It is precisely this that marks a central point in the dialogue with Islam in Europe. This question – very bluntly put – addresses Islam’s capacity for endorsing democracy. Related questions would involve the acceptance of religious freedom and tolerance for the faith of others. This means nothing less than the capacity for peace between religions and an endorsement of their role as liberating forces.

By reason of its own history, Europe has a special responsibility in its dialogue with Islam and in interfaith dialogue in general. To be able to accept this responsibility, concrete ways of clarification and elucidation are indispensable. Academia can contribute substantially to this task. I am thinking of area studies as well as of religious studies. Islamic studies helps us to look beyond the current situation and into the rich history of this religion. Considering philosophical and theological questions of Islam in a historical perspective enables us to form a nuanced view of Islam, in the face of which today’s fundamentalist developments appear as a narrowing of Islam’s multi-faceted history. This is why I have been attaching such great importance to supporting area studies and especially Islamic Studies. This holds true also for particular projects such as collaborative research centers (“Sonderforschungsbereiche”) and clusters of excellence – in a national and a European context – concerning the connections between religion, culture and society. In Germany, we decided to establish centers for Islamic theology at four different universities. This entails the opportunity to develop an Islamic scholarship in Europe and to promote the transformation of the substance of Islam into the modern world through theological reflection.

The discussion of the project did not take place without critical questions, which, ultimately, always come up when the general capacity of an adaptation to the present is addressed in connection with the exegesis of the Koran. This is an ongoing debate. Where, if not in Europe, could the opportunities be better to perform this enlightening process, which is the prerequisite for Islam also recognizing the reference to God as a stimulus for freedom and tolerance.

Finally, the countless departments for Protestant and Catholic Theology, the Hochschule für Jüdische Studien in Heidelberg, the Zentrum Jüdische Studien Berlin-Brandenburg and the new centers for Islamic theological studies are a great opportunity for interfaith dialogue in our society – which is becoming ever more pluralistic, also religiously – and for what Karl-Josef Kuschel calls the “Abrahamic ecumenism” (Kuschel/Micksch 2011). The prerequisite for this is to take religion in the public space seriously: to take it seriously as the hope of individual human beings, as the source of principles and values, as part of a cultural memory and the connected images and patterns of interpretation. The academic reflection concerning the theologies of Judaism, Islam and Christianity can contribute to religious peace as a requirement for global peace in the twenty-first century.

It is also for this reason that I am very happy that the conference proceedings of the Berlin symposium “Religion and Society in the 21^st Century” will be published. I hope this book will find many interested readers.

Berlin, December 2012