In Germany Christianity is the main religion that is practiced throughout the country.

However there are different denominations that is practiced. Those denominations are Lutheran,
Roman Catholic, and the Protestant Evangelical Church with Christianity being the main
religion. In todays society religion is not a major aspect in the lives of the people in this country
shown by the decreasing percentages of people claiming to be religious and going to church.
However 60 percent of the people who do go to church claim to be Christian and 30 percent say
they are catholic and less than 30 percent say they are Protestant. During the early times the
Visigoth bishop Ulfilas had finished the first German translation of the bible in hopes of
converting the Pagan Germanic people to Christianity. From this is where the Christian religion
first sprang up in Germany. Long after this took place Martin Luther came and caused the
Protestant Reformation which caused a divide in the Christian church in 1517. The two religions
were then the Protestants and the Roman Catholics.
Church life in Germany, depending on the religion, affects the way the people think and
act. People who follow the teachings of the Protestant and the Catholic Church are classified as
left-brained, very cognitive, and mainly focus on rituals and membership. The Bishops of these
churches advocate for the people to be more mission minded however they are not willing to put
money into such things. The churches want to expand and grow with their membership however
the people like to keep to their traditions. The deep rooted beliefs the people have prevent them
from converting to other religions which is why the religions have difficulty expanding. The
leaders of the churches also do not like to take risks or risk failing which is represented in their
teachings. Because of this, people tend to further keep the traditions they always have and would
rather see what they already have in their lives instead of looking at what they could potentially
have.
There are several sacred places in Germany, some of which are for religions that are less
predominate in the country while most of them are for the Catholic, Protestant, or Christian
churches. One of these sacred places is the Aachen Cathedral also known as the Imperial
Cathedral; it has great historical, architectural and spiritual importance for the German people. It
was built in Charlemagne in 805AD and it was where they held many coronations and
pilgrimage for several centuries. It is also one of the oldest churches in Germany. One of the
more modern sacred places is known as the Berliner Dom which was built in 1905. While it is a
more modern building, it stands on the grounds where previous cathedrals had stood bringing it
more importance to the people of Germany. It is also known as the Protestant St. Peters. During
World War 2 the building was bombed and had suffered serve damages and during the
reconstruction the original designs were changed to something more simple. There are also
several other sacred places in Germany that hold great importance to the people of Germany.
Unlike the United States, Religion and Government intertwine to govern the people of
Germany. There are two state churches that are given special privileges by the constitution and
other treaties. These two churches are the Catholic Church and the Lutheran Church. These
churches have the power to discriminate against employees working in church owned buildings
based on religious/ dogmatic grounds. These places would include church owned Hospitals and
schools. They are able to teach religion in the classroom as well as have their instructors and

church leaders salaries paid by the state. There is also currently a movement going on known as
Christian Democracy which supports this state church system. Under the Christian Democracy
there are two parties which are the Christian Democratic Union party which is more conservative
and the Christian Social Union. These are the major influences that are being pushed in
Germany.
I think that the role of religion in Germany has much more influence on the lives of the
people living in this country than it does in countries like the United States. The government is
influenced by the churches which directly affects everyone in the country. With the Christian
Democracy movement being pushed, religion will be a major factor in the lives of the people,
essentially forcing them to follow the religious teachings that are being taught. I also think that
with how many sacred places there are in Germany alone shows how much religion plays a role
in the country. The people are constantly working to maintain these buildings and keep the
sanctity of them which shows the amount of effort they put into respecting the religions of this
country. Overall, religion plays a major role in German Culture.

Sources:
Influence of established religion still going strong in Germany. (2012, October 12). Retrieved
March 15, 2016, from https://euroatheist.wordpress.com/2012/10/12/influence-of-establishedreligion-still-going-strong-in-germany/
Sacred Sites in Germany. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2016, from
https://euroatheist.wordpress.com/2012/10/12/influence-of-established-religion-still-goingstrong-in-germany/
The German Way & More. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2016, from http://www.germanway.com/history-and-culture/germany/religion-in-germany/
Bailey, S. P. (n.d.). Germany's 'Cold Religion' Retrieved March 15, 2016, from
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/novemberweb-only/145-11.0.html
Religion in Germany. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2016, from
https://www.internations.org/germany-expats/guide/16030-culture-shopping-recreation/religionin-germany-16010