"I could just as well say I turn off the light for the climate control when I sleep"

WORLD: The synod of the Evangelical Church in Germany declares its solidarity with the people of the "last generation". These are the people sticking themselves in the streets against climate change. And I'm wondering now, when are we both going to stick to the next church?

Raúl Krauthausen: A few weeks ago, Philipp Möller was a guest on my podcast, which is called “In the Elevator”, and Philipp Möller is the chairman of the Central Council of Non-denominationalists. And he said very clever things about the church. He has worked out that almost every human right that has been enforced has been enforced against the church. So the equality of women and men, the right of asylum. And so on. And now churches stand up and say: We are the custodians of this. That sounds a bit weird, it feels weird.

At the same time, I also see – without being a believer now – the importance that the church can have for people in the sense of belonging, in the sense of people from different backgrounds meeting there, whether rich or poor, male or female, young and old Alt. The diversity in a church is something special, I usually only see that when I'm on the bus, so diverse people. And if they then show solidarity with people who stick to the streets, then that's a good thing.

WORLD: You were born in Peru. There, over 90 percent belong to the Catholic Church. How did you become a non-believer with this socialization?

Krauthausen: My mother is German, my father is Peruvian and my father's family is very religious. My mother's family too, but not as practicing. And my mother never cared. She always found it exhausting that my paternal family placed such incredible importance in God when I was in the room. Then it was often said: Oh, it's a miracle that he can read, despite his disability. something like that. I was like a trophy to show around.

And then there was the situation when, as a small child, as a baby, I was secretly baptized by one of my father's relatives. He was a Mormon priest. And when my mother found out and realized that, she was furious. Then she left with me. In any case, the sentence from the priest was that I must not die godlessly. They assumed that I would die as a child because of my disability. But I'm still alive. Maybe that's why I have a certain aversion.

WORLD: Do climate activists and the church have more in common than you think? Well, climate reports are forecasts by scientists. You could call them predictions. Religious texts were also written by scholars in their day and often had apocalyptic visions of the future. Isn't the IPPC report something like a modern day Bible?

Krauthausen: That's a difficult comparison. Strategically, I can imagine that the “Last Generation” takes the toughest report as a basis, because we know that from the action strategy: You go in with the maximum goal in order to come out with something at all. If everything remains voluntary and if nothing is regulated and regulated by law, it will only get worse, we already know that.

And if 97 percent of the scientists tell you that this is actually no longer negotiable, then that is simply a fact. This is different from faith. We also saw that with Corona.

WORLD: What do you mean by that?

Krauthausen: You can do a corona test and it will have a result. I see in my circle of acquaintances and friends that those who become infected have previously had contact with someone who was infected. This is all science and I don't want to say anything about the measures now, but this is science and this is not an opinion. And I think it's the same with climate activism. That's just science.

WORLD: The employees of the evangelical church should now drive on the highway 80 and on the highway only 100, that was also just decided. How do you find that?

Krauthausen: Well, I don't know how they want to control that. Fifa also says there is no racism here, and then it happens anyway. But the question I ask myself is how seriously do you have to take it? Also as a journalist, who then churns out a report about it.

WORLD: I don't really care about the speed limit. But what I find stupid is that it's just a symbol, which isn't going to do anything. The evangelical church in Germany will not solve the climate crisis by having a bishop drive 100 km on the autobahn.

At its meeting in Magdeburg, the Synod of the Evangelical Church decided on a speed limit for church representatives on business trips: 100 kilometers per hour on the autobahn, 80 on country roads. The church also supports 120 km/h on the Autobahn for everyone.

Source: WORLD / Victoria Schulte

Krauthausen: I'm disabled and a disability activist. And for the first time I became really aware of what these symbolic actions can mean when you are affected by them. I don't care about the speed limit either. I do not have a car. But if it says, for example, that we are banning plastic straws for environmental reasons, then that's not such a good idea. There are people with disabilities, and I know these people, who need plastic straws, and now they have rebelled and resisted and now not only have to fight against the politicians who are doing this funny symbolic action, but also against the majority of society, who says: Take a glass straw or a noodle. As if disabled people hadn't already tried everything.

Disabled people need the plastic straw because it is the best means for many to drink independently, hygienically and without risk of injury. But when politicians have decided to do it that way, it's a quick win. It doesn't hurt most people and doesn't change anything. And we totally forget that the straw was never the problem. The environmental destruction at sea doesn't come from straws, it's probably cruise ships.

There are many other, far worse things. If they banned what would make sense, then the outcry would be huge. I found the plastic straw thing much worse than the church that says: drive carefully and slowly. But political action and such inconsistent symbolic decisions lead to disenchantment with politics. I could just as well say I turn off the climate lights at night when I sleep. The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin is brightly lit, but the Victory Column is no longer. That is not consistent. And if you ban plastic straws, please also ban plastic lids on paper cups.

"7 Days, 7 Nights" is the political weekly with Frédéric Schwilden. Every Friday he welcomes a political guest to a slightly different weekly review. Subscribe to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music or via RSS feed, among others.