If you look at the graphics and think: Oh, God,

Dies the Christianity in Switzerland? We continue as in the past, there are 2060 in the city of Basel, no more Christians.
if You look at the graphics and think: Oh, God. These Numbers are ugly, that is clear. But you have to differentiate. These are not all Church-goers, we ran away. There are also other factors. The Migration, for example, Christians have benefited from us. A low birth rate, as among Protestants. And then we suffer since 1968, under a very unfavorable cultural Climate, which closes many of the access to the Church before they could even sit down to deal with her. Tax advisors provide their customers, in the meantime, the discharge documents so that they can save the Church tax. And even us Reformed people out of the Church not occur, because they are with the Pope agree.

And a lot of people have the simple preaching is no longer of interest to hard benches and lukewarm.
(laughs) Sure, we made mistakes. We are often too slow, too bureaucratic set up. Rhetorically, we need to improve us greatly. And we need to radiate more heat. Because we can salute of the free churches to learn that pick up your visitors very personally, as in the entrance to the Church. We need to strengthen the community, and self-confident be, today, is for certain people, as a behavior, who is in the Church. In addition, we need to emphasize our Strengths better. We do a lot for social cohesion in the country, take care of the marginalised, to visit Old. Defections weaken this solidarity.

There is not the welfare state that is supported in the population?
Our welfare state is fundamental, valuable and worth protecting, for sure. But if someone takes care of an inner Conviction, to Old, or it's just doing his Job – there's a difference.

graphics: Simone Luchetta

In the economy would merge with the Catholics and Reformed in a similar plight well.
on the Part of the Catholics is braked Ecumenism currently. To go together is not so think in the Moment. And there is to clarify many fundamental questions. In addition, I find the diversity of the offer, ultimately, good for Christianity. Indeed things that we can less well: Baroque Festive,. We have, however, tended to be better sermons that are intellectually interesting.

Protestantism is not Vernünftelt too much? The people are already trimmed in their Professions, to rationality, to believe in the Church perhaps quite simply change of something.
In the Greek to mean "Faith" and "trust" the same thing. And so it goes in the Religion . You should not believe in the Church, something that appears to be a case of an empty head as a grotesque. But trust in life. And maybe that is not just Attractive on Protestantism: the worlds falling apart, and you can draw a connection from the Church into his own, sober life.

of Doubt, in the light of the empty Church ranks, sometimes to God?
In God I do not doubt, even if doubt belong to Faith. No, I'm optimistic. Profane prophecies such as Marxism or the secularization theory, which said the demise of Christianity in advance and welcomed, have failed. We, however, are still there. I have observed a crisis of meaning in society, and it is starting to become more noticeable. This is evident in the literature, which is a Seismograph of social changes, and where Religion is increasingly a topic. There are also more people than before who want to enter the Church. And in other regions of the world – Africa, Asia, South America – does it look like for us anyway a lot better.

conclusion: Why not stay the note from the accountant with the exit statement writing and in the Church?
Because you would aufkünden also a social project and who can want that? And: because the world interior of the mind, to use a term from Rilke, is nowhere so well explore in the Faith.

Created: 29.11.2019, 10:04 PM