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Religion

Article 4 of the German “Grundgesetz” (Basic Law) guarantees the freedom of belief: every person is free to choose and practice his or her own religion. Equally, every person has the freedom not to choose or practice a religion, to leave a religious community or to join another religious community.

There is no state church in Germany. The state and the churches or religious communities are not allowed to enter into institutional association; they are, however, allowed to cooperate provided that the principles of neutrality and non-discrimination are upheld. This means that churches are expected to make statements on social issues and be involved in bodies and commissions like ethics councils. The state and the churches have also come to agreements on religious instruction in state schools and the collection of church tax by state financial authorities. As a result, there is not a strict division of church and state in the secular sense in Germany.

Today, some 30 percent of the population in Germany is Roman Catholics, another 30 percent are Protestants. Roughly four percent of the population comes from Moslem countries, about two percent belong to other religious communities and roughly 34 percent are not affiliated to any religious group. Altogether, there are more than 160 different religious communities in Germany which contribute to the religious diversity of the country.