Relevance
Religion is an inherent part of all cultures and societies. It can influence the self-perception and identity of individuals, as well as the formation and demarcation of social communities from other groups. In modern Western societies, religion exists within the tension between fluid, individual forms of religiosity and highly institutionalized forms, as seen in Christian churches, especially the Catholic Church. Institutionalized forms of religion seem to strive for diachronic consistency and stability. However, they are also places and motors for change, which can arise from corresponding internal dynamics or be induced by developments in their social and cultural environment. Ultimately, the relationship between religions and the societies in which they are culturally embedded, politically influential and institutionally established oscillates between extensive convergence and strict demarcation, and these configurations are also subject to change.
In parts of Europe in particular, this change can be described as the dissolution of traditional Christian milieus and their denominational characteristics, resulting in a loss of cultural influence and social relevance for the two major Christian churches. In this context, individual and syncretic forms of religiosity with little or no institutional connection are becoming more important. Additionally, irreligiosity is increasing, not only in the form of religious criticism, but also in the sense of a lack of religion, where individuals have no access to religious experience and dispense with religious categories of interpretation. Nevertheless, processes of modernization do not lead to the disappearance of religion, but rather to profound changes in its forms of belief, expression, and social organization. In this process, religion emerges as a factor of social and cultural development and international politics that is as influential as it is ambivalent. Alongside and in the context of radical secularization, contradictory processes are emerging in Europe, characterized by an individual search for spirituality and religiously grounded identity politics.
Such findings emphasize that questions about the significance of religion for individuals and societies, and the reasons and conditions for its institutionalization, are by no means obsolete. Rather, they must be approached with new urgency and from a global perspective. The historical dimension of religious and cultural processes of change must be included, as the current situation, in all its complexity and with all its different paths of development, cannot be understood without this historical perspective. The KU Center for Religion, Church and Society in Transformation (ZRKG) at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt addresses this issue by focusing on the interplay between the three terms in its title, while maintaining an academic interest in combining various disciplines: Religion – Church – Society. The focus is on the transformation potential and processes demonstrated by these three phenomena and their interaction in the past and present.
