Christians and their religion: fewer and fewer Germans believe in God

Only 55 percent of Germans still believe in "one God" today. In 2005, when asked the same question, the proportion was still at 66 percent. This was the result of a representative survey commissioned by SPIEGEL at the Kantar Public Institute.

Particularly striking is that even among those who understand themselves as Christians, the faith goes back strongly.

In 2005, 85 percent of Catholics believed in God, according to the survey, there are now 75 percent. The value of the Protestants fell even more, from 79 to 67 percent. Several million people, who belong to one of the major Christian denominations in the country with almost 45 million church members, show a considerable inner distance to their religion.

At the same time, 66 percent of respondents believe that there are wonders in the world (there is no comparable figure from 2005). On this point, there is a particularly large gap between women, three-quarters of whom believe in miracles, and the seemingly more rational men, whose share is 57 percent.

It is also striking that the largely ungodly East Germans express almost as much approval when asked about the possibility of miracles, as their compatriots in the West; the numbers are 62 percent in the East and 67 percent in the Old Federal Republic. More people believe in the existence of angels in eastern Germany (36 percent) than in God (26 percent).

The Munich Jesuit father, physician and psychoanalyst Eckhard Frick sees himself thereby confirmed in his view that the decline of Christianity should not be understood primarily as a result of secularization, the secularization of life in a time of science and technology.

Christians and their religion: See here the results of the SPIEGEL survey

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"The spiritual interest has grown rather larger," says the Catholic, who teaches as a professor of anthropological psychology at the University of Philosophy of the Jesuit Order in the Bavarian capital. The ecclesiastical offer in Germany finds Frick "often too official and pedagogical".

The other results of the pollsters commissioned by SPIEGEL also show how far a large part of the church members have moved away from the hot core of Christianity. A life after death, which is promised to upright believers in the New Testament, hopes only for the Catholics a majority, which has already become scarce with 53 percent. In 2005, there were still 65 percent.

Particularly skeptical among all respondents, this age group is closest to death: only 29 percent of those 65 and older expect to live beyond that age. Among all younger people, the proportion is well over 40 percent.

Only 58 percent of Protestants and 61 percent of Catholics believe in the biblical resurrection of Jesus Christ after the crucifixion, upon which Christianity is based and celebrated at Easter.

For the Munich Jesuit and university teacher Frick reflected in the figures a social trend, he says: "With the resurrection of the dead, as it is in the Christian creed, many people can not do anything." However, if one talks about "rebirth and transmigration of souls, many Christians will also have bright eyes".

1003 respondents from 12 to 14 March 2019.

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