Abstract / DOI
Religion, Secular State and Pluralistic Society Today. This essay focusses on the eminent and controversial role of religion in present pluralistic society, which is impregnated by secularism. It is of great importance to constantly configure the relation between religious freedom and secularist politics and culture. Democracy today is in need of an ethical and culturall fundament because it «lives by prerequisites which it cannot guarantee itself» (Böckenförde dilemma). Therefore christian theology and the Churches need to be an active partner in dialogue with pluralistic society. The phenomenon of pluralistic wordviews and religiousness can not be countered simply with atheism and laicism. Society is in need of efforts of translation between foreignness and the own, between religious traditions and secular culture.