A fine line: Credibility rather than faith testing

Comment on the decision of the BVerfG of 3.4.2020 (Ref. 2 BvR 1838/15) on the question of when state courts may deny the identity character of an asylum seeker's conversion to Christianity.

Abstract

The author comments on the decision of the Federal Constitutional Court of 03.04.2020. This decision deals with the credibility of converted asylum seekers and how to deal with them. In this context, the author comes to the conclusion that the Federal Constitutional Court wants both to call on the courts to be sensitive in dealing with the right to freedom of faith and to call on the churches to be cautious in their practice in dealing with requests for baptism. It goes on to answer the question of the extent to which the state can permissibly answer the question of religious affiliation