Sollte die Forschung an menschlichen Embryonen erlaubt sein oder verboten werden? Neben der Politik und der Wissenschaft, wird die Debatte insbesondere von religiösen Gruppen maßgeblich geprägt. Mirjam Weiberg analysiert anhand des Beispiels der Embryonenforschung in den USA, wie sich religiöse Akteure am öffentlichen Diskurs um die Biopolitik beteiligen und welchen Einfluss sie auf gesetzliche Regelungen nehmen. mehr

The religious power of Christianity and the churches is on the wane in Germany and Western Europe. As a social power, however, Christianity remains a relevant social factor. Charismatic personalities founded social organisations in the 19th century that still form the backbone of independent welfare work in Germany today. Moreover, many special features of the German welfare state, such as the central role of social insurance, cannot be explained without looking at the denominations and their plurality. More...

Spain is a region that has long been neglected in European history. Britt Schlünz analyses - in the interplay between centre and periphery, between Madrid, Catalonia, the Vatican and the colony of Cuba - the conflict-ridden Spanish secularisation of the 19th century. Her study focuses on the clerical actors and contributes to the understanding of the key conflicts and central phenomena of the century in Europe: the possibilities of adaptation of the religious field, the formation of liberalism and the processes of decolonisation. Read more...

In the search for the right relationship between Protestantism and democracy, the parliamentary activity of German theologians suggests that they were and are particularly challenged to synthesise their religious convictions with the democratic idea. Continue reading...