Editor's note: Secularism does tend to leave moral confusion and a spiritual void, for which reason Prout cannot support it as a complete philosophy. We suspect, however, that the current trend toward established religion in Germany may represent more of a retrenchment than a true reconsideration of spiritual ideas and purpose of life. Reconsideration requires thought, not mere belief, and examination of alternatives and possibilities. At stake in all spiritual questions of course is the nature of the individual's relation with the divine.
Pope Benedict XVI's challenge to secularism meets with receptivity during his German visit.
This is the continent where some leading thinkers are talking about a "post-Christian Europe." And this is the country of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who infamously quipped, "God is dead."
So some may be surprised at the receptivity in Germany this week to visiting Pope Benedict XVI's message: Europe needs to rethink the thesis that secularism and economic progress go hand in hand. Coincidentally, some of Europe's stalwart secularists are challenging the idea that religious reasoning inevitably retreats from the public sphere as countries modernize.
Germans themselves are modeling a growing acceptance of religion's role in shaping society:
- * Head of state Angela Merkel - the daughter of a Protestant minister - this month renewed calls to include a specific reference in the EU constitution to Europe's Christian heritage.
* There are more theologians in the German parliament than in any other Western parliament, including the US Congress. And when the last government cabinet was sworn in, nearly every member - instead of the usual 50 percent - opted for the religious version of the inaugural oath, according to Karsten Voigt, coordinator of German-American relations at the foreign ministry.
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