Church, State and RE in Europe: Past, Present and Future

Abstract

Abstract In this contribution, I will demonstrate how different kinds of RE in state schools are related to different church-state models: while non-denominational RE is common in nations characterized by “mutual independence” between the (Catholic) church and the state, non-denonminational RE is, today, more common in nations with a (former) Lutheran state church. Finally, no RE in state schools is a matter of fact in nations where state and church are separated. Given these recurring relationships between church-state models and RE, a shift from denominational to non-denominational RE is not always easy. Therefore, sometimes pragmatic alternatives come to the fore.