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Religionsunterricht in Deutschland - Eine gute Wahl — Transcript

by Lieblingsfach Religion · 5,109 words · 789 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:22No, I do care. Well, I think there are
0:25things I care about less. Taking
0:55responsibility for units. A realization
0:58of freedom in people's lives.
1:03A high school in Bavaria.
1:06Thursday morning, eleventh grade
1:08religion class, just like in most other
1:12public schools in Germany. An estimated
1:165 to 6 million students are
1:18participating in religious education
1:20this school year. Whether Christian,
1:24Jewish, Islamic, or Orthodox. Andreas
1:29Segmund has been a teacher for
1:31mathematics and religion for 21 years.
1:35I think that religion in our society,
1:37as you can see right now, plays an
1:39increasingly larger role. People talk a
1:42lot about religion in politics and in
1:45society, and I find reflecting on it to
1:48be very important. We can certainly
1:52help our students find a good
1:54standpoint, and I find that simply
1:55important because questions like how do
1:57you treat each other, how do you lead a
1:59good life, our students want to know
2:00these things and they ask about them,
2:02and I believe we as religion teachers
2:04can really contribute something with
2:05our subject.
2:09What is the life that young people lead
2:11today like? What topics occupy them and
2:14what might these topics have to do with
2:17religious education? We meet four
2:20students in Bavaria and North
2:22Rhine-Westphalia and want to know what
2:24moves them.
2:28Tiona is 18. She knows her way around
2:32cosmetics, massages, and is currently
2:34also training to be a hairdresser.
2:37Almost four years ago, she came to
2:39Germany with her family from Georgia.
2:42Cornelius is 14. He is a passionate
2:45musician who plays the clarinet and
2:47piano and is part of the school
2:49basketball team. Elisabeth is also 14.
2:54She plays piano, does track and field,
2:56and her heart beats for acting. And Tim
3:01, 21, he just finished his training as
3:03a landscaper. Nature is basically his
3:06thing.
3:09Yesterday I was out until 9 o'clock
3:10with my friends because you just walk
3:12around, everything is green, things are
3:13starting to bloom. You also notice now,
3:16as a gardener it’s like, when
3:17something blooms, you look at it a bit
3:19differently and you see or think about
3:21what plant it is. But I also think you
3:23notice that in the past, people
3:25destroyed all these things and now you
3:27just basically can't catch up anymore.
3:31Right now, it's obviously a huge topic
3:34with the diesel debate and everything,
3:37and the fact that we're so wasteful
3:39with things and this sense of
3:42responsibility toward nature is
3:44somewhat missing—and well, that’s
3:47also a bit of a societal issue. People
3:51want meat as cheaply as possible,
3:53buying the cheap stuff at the
3:54supermarket and not being willing to
3:56pay more for it, but then they get
3:58upset when they hear about factory
3:59farming or things like that.
4:02I am a vegetarian, personally. It’s
4:03also a form of environmental protection
4:05, if you look at it in a broad sense.
4:07Yeah, I mean, I’m sometimes a bit
4:09strict with my classmates if they throw
4:11something on the ground or anything
4:12like that. Then I always say, "Hey,
4:14pick that up," or something. And then
4:15they’re always like, "Huh, you’re
4:17so eco and stuff." I used to be a total
4:19freak about things like that. I’d
4:21always be running through the forest
4:23and who knows what else. Yes, I do
4:25worry, because I think to myself, if
4:27things keep going like this, I wonder
4:29what our Earth will look like soon. In
4:32my job, I see a lot of people coming in
4:34with illnesses, sometimes cancer, or
4:36people who have hair loss. Of course,
4:39that all has to do with pollution, with
4:41the air, with the food, and I really do
4:43worry sometimes—what will happen to
4:45me when I get old? I really don't want
4:48to look like that. I don't want to have
4:50those same problems. Sometimes I think,
4:52how am I supposed to solve this? Then I
4:55think to myself, you have to try to
4:58make sure you use fewer bags yourself
5:02or try to improve the world in some way
5:06. I see more and more people riding
5:09bikes. I see more and more people just
5:11leaving their cars parked in front of
5:13their house during the day and cycling
5:14to work. And I think it's cool that
5:16people are starting to move away from
5:20this car trend a little bit, and yeah,
5:22I like that.
5:24You can really see how people are
5:26becoming a bit colder. They only focus
5:29on their jobs, and I see a problem
5:31there because many people don't want a
5:34family anymore, obviously, because they
5:36are so busy or under so much stress
5:38that even a family feels like stress to
5:41them. That's why they don't want a
5:44family, and I think that will be a
5:46problem if we humans only focus on work
5:49. And I think that the more technology
5:51advances, the lazier people become.
5:54I have, I have Facebook and Instagram.
5:58I used to have Snapchat, but I couldn't
6:00handle it because of the huge amount of
6:03information coming at you every day.
6:07I uninstalled Instagram because, I
6:09don't know, it somehow, this sounds
6:12weird, but it just brought me down. Yes
6:15. No, there are always these beautiful
6:18photos of people experiencing amazing
6:20things, and then you look at yourself
6:21and think, "Huh, why isn't my life like
6:23that?" And that wasn't very cool, so I
6:27uninstalled it.
6:30Yes, I mean, I had friends who were
6:31bullied. That's not the case anymore,
6:34and yeah, you notice it and it's not
6:37nice. Yes, we get the Süddeutsche at
6:42home on the weekends, sometimes we get
6:44Die Zeit and I read that, and I also
6:47spend a lot of time online,
6:49Süddeutsche online. I mean, I notice
6:52that people want to do everything much
6:55faster. I mean, I do it a lot too,
6:58where I just, I only read the headlines
7:00of newspaper articles and think: "No,
7:02that doesn't interest me," or "Yeah,
7:04that interests me." And so you sort of
7:07zip through life, and yeah, I think
7:11that's increasing, partly because of
7:14digital media and everything like that,
7:17probably. Yes, well, there are a lot of
7:22different opinions about refugees. Well
7:25, first of all, that's how I was raised
7:26, and it's also my opinion that I don't
7:28think it's a bad thing. I actually
7:31think it's good that other people,
7:32especially if we were doing badly, we
7:34would also be happy if we were taken in
7:36somewhere. And I mean, that's why I
7:38think it's a bit of a shame when people
7:39are so completely against it. I think
7:46it will definitely continue to play a
7:48big role, because it's surely a major
7:49challenge for the country now to deal
7:51with these people, and also to deal
7:53with the people in our country who
7:54can't deal with these people. I notice
7:57it from time to time when older people
8:00on the street or somewhere just make a
8:02disparaging comment about something
8:04like that. I don't know, I count that
8:07as xenophobia too. You're sitting two
8:10seats away and wonder, first of all,
8:12why on the street, and second, why at
8:14all? I mean, if I go and say something,
8:16then at least I’ve done something,
8:18whether it helps or not, but I’ve
8:20done something. If I just sit on the
8:23sidelines, then nothing happens at all.
8:28I’m also of the mindset that if you
8:29don't go out, I can't understand that.
8:32And when some friends said, "Ugh, I'm
8:34done with politics, they just do
8:35everything wrong anyway" and don't go
8:37vote, then you really say, "Geez,
8:38anyone who complains and then doesn't
8:40even cast their vote has only
8:41themselves to blame," or that it's just
8:43so unreasonable. And among our friends,
8:47we really do have different views, and
8:49we’ve talked about it a lot,
8:51especially regarding digitalization.
8:54Because many were always in favor of it
8:56, and then a few always said: For me,
8:57it's like this. For example, perhaps a
8:59bit due to my profession, um, that
9:01you’re a bit, uh, yeah, I’d say,
9:03leaning in the Green direction. And
9:06then they always, well, we tease each
9:07other a bit or something like that. But
9:09especially during the time of the
9:10federal election, we always used the
9:12voting aid app. For example, we always
9:13looked at which parties and such might
9:15be an option. We definitely engaged
9:17with that.
9:19Environmental protection, xenophobia,
9:21new media, politics—these are topics
9:24that move all four of our protagonists,
9:26which they encounter time and again in
9:28everyday life, and which raise
9:30questions for them. Someone who tries
9:34to find answers to these questions, as
9:36part of his job, is Member of the
9:37Bundestag Volker Ulrich. For him,
9:41religious education can be very helpful
9:44in the search for answers and is
9:45rightfully even included in the Basic
9:48Law. Then we have achieved a lot, which
9:49is why I ask for your approval. Thank
9:51you very much.
9:52Article 7, Paragraph 3, Sentence 1 of
9:55our Basic Law. Religious education
9:59shall be a regular subject in public
10:01schools, with the exception of
10:02non-denominational schools. An
10:07important article in our Basic Law,
10:09which ranks between Article 6,
10:11protection of marriage and family, and
10:14Article 8, freedom of assembly—so it
10:16stands right in the middle of
10:18fundamental rights, has its origin in
10:21the religious freedom of every
10:23individual, and ensures that religious
10:25education can take place within
10:27community schools as an institutional
10:30guarantee, while simultaneously
10:33realizing the individual religious
10:35freedom of every single person.
10:39Religious education is the only subject
10:41that is mentioned in the Basic Law. In
10:43some federal states, it's even in the
10:45state constitution. Religious education
10:47is something special. Can you feel that
10:50? For example, as a teacher?
10:54You probably think that I’m just a
10:55normal teacher to begin with. I am part
10:57of the teaching staff. Um, I’m happy
10:59when my students learn something in my
11:01lessons, when they know and can do more
11:04after the lesson than before. Um, I
11:07hold exams, give grades, and am of
11:09course, like every teacher, in a way an
11:11educator, imparting values, and like
11:14every teacher, I have many
11:16administrative tasks. But I believe
11:19that we—that we, the religious
11:21education teachers, do distinguish
11:23ourselves, simply through our subject,
11:26because the things we talk about, you
11:28often cannot see or touch them. Unlike
11:32in other subjects, you can’t prove it
11:34either, because we are simply talking
11:36about a much deeper reality than we do
11:37in other subjects. In that respect, it
11:41is actually quite concrete, because it
11:43simply affects the student's own person
11:45, which we talk about and treat in
11:47class, and that is why we certainly
11:49differ from other teachers, because
11:50that isn’t possible in other subjects
11:52in the same way, I believe. This unique
11:58aspect of religious education is felt
12:00not only by the teachers, but also by
12:02their colleagues, parents, and
12:03principals. Bernhard Stegmann, for
12:07example, is the principal of a high
12:09school. He, however, thinks that the
12:11special status of religious education
12:13leads to neither problems nor criticism
12:15.
12:17Not in the sense that this subject
12:20should be treated differently; if there
12:23is sometimes criticism, it’s more
12:25about whether teachers take it just as
12:28seriously as history or biology. So,
12:32there are sometimes parents who don't
12:34quite understand that you can also get
12:36a failing grade in religious education.
12:39Because it’s supposedly about other
12:42things than just the grade itself. But
12:46that can be explained quite well in a
12:49conversation, and I have never
12:51experienced parents who couldn't
12:53understand that.
12:56What are these other things that
12:58religious education is about? We are
13:01driving to the bank in the Diocese of
13:02Essen, the BB. The church bank has been
13:05issuing microloans worldwide since 2006
13:07. It’s about sustainability and
13:10social responsibility. You learn things
13:12like that in religious education, for
13:14example, says Hanspeter Heidrich,
13:15spokesperson for the bank's board. Yes,
13:20I believe that one really must very
13:23concretely establish the connections to
13:25our society in religious education. And
13:29for me as a banker, that naturally
13:32includes in particular how an
13:34individual handles their money and
13:36their assets, and not just using that
13:38money and those assets for their own
13:41benefit, but also for the benefit of
13:43society. Yes, well in elementary school
13:48, in my town, a village of 500 souls
13:51with 496 Catholics and one newly
13:53moved-in Protestant family, religious
13:56education was a wonderful thing,
13:58because you heard stories from the
14:01Bible there. It was a very nice priest
14:05who always told them. You then had the
14:08opportunity at home to read it all
14:10again. I felt that was very positive.
14:13And it was during this time, I believe,
14:16also because of my parents and my
14:19upbringing, that my social conscience
14:22was sharpened. And I believe that the
14:24only reason I am on the board of a
14:27church bank today is because I was
14:29shaped in this direction by religious
14:31education as well. And even a
14:34politician finds things in retrospect
14:36that have influenced him.
14:39Well, I have very different memories of
14:40my religious education. The very first
14:43ones go far back into the 80s, when I
14:45was in the first, se-cond and third
14:47grade. And there we had a notebook
14:50where we actually had to redraw a
14:52biblical scene every week. For example,
14:56the multiplication of the loaves and
14:59fishes or Jesus walking on water or
15:02certainly the Last Supper or the entry
15:05on Palm Sunday, and I was certainly
15:08never particularly good at drawing. I
15:11then always answered the questions that
15:13were asked afterwards reasonably well.
15:16But I also have good memories of
15:18religious education in high school.
15:23That was not just a question of
15:26religion or creed, but a very deeply
15:29intensified engagement with the great
15:32names of Western philosophy, from
15:35Kierkegaard to Hegel, and even
15:38Nietzsche. Meaning thinking in
15:43categories of philosophy and the
15:45history of ideas. And that was
15:48certainly very enriching.
15:51Around 20 years later, what is
15:53religious education about today? What
15:56are the topics and who determines these
15:58topics? Well, it certainly has a
16:03special role in the curriculum, and I
16:06also notice it, um, at that point,
16:08because it is the only subject where a
16:11church representative actually comes to
16:14my school and asks to be allowed to
16:17attend the class to see how the lesson
16:19is structured, how the teacher teaches,
16:22if it is contemporary, if there are
16:25contents that should not be conveyed in
16:27that way. allowed. That is not control,
16:31but a very good cooperation for us, but
16:33I don't have that in any other subject.
16:35We cover various topics. For instance,
16:37there is Islam, there is Christianity,
16:39there is Catholicism, right? And
16:43Orthodox, as well as Buddhists. I am
16:46Yazidi myself, but my mom is uh
16:48Orthodox, my dad is Yazidi and I am
16:50also somewhere in between. So I don't
16:52really know which direction I should
16:54take. And that's why I think it's great
16:56that we have religious education at
16:58school. Um, then I can learn more and
17:02maybe uh decide what is right for me.
17:07And it's always good when you uh
17:09already know something about other
17:11religions, so that I can also
17:12understand other people, why they are
17:14so different from me, for example.
17:18Right now, we're covering the church
17:19during the Nazi era. I find that pretty
17:23interesting, because: I mean, I hadn't
17:24really thought about that before, and
17:26it's quite interesting. Or it's not
17:29just like strict, uptight things, like
17:31you might imagine, but also: Sometimes
17:33we talk about bullying or something
17:35like that, about how you should treat
17:37people. That's usually part of
17:39religious education too. We had the
17:41topic of cults last year. That we–I
17:45mean, it was clear that we would
17:47somehow address cults in religious
17:49studies, but we really discussed it in
17:52such, um, great detail and intensity,
17:57and I actually thought it was really
17:59important that we talked about it,
18:01because well, you learned a lot.
18:05Yes, the last topic was beauty. Yes,
18:07what does that have to do with religion
18:09? You're asking yourself exactly what I
18:11thought too. At first I thought it
18:14couldn't have anything to do with
18:16religion, but actually, once I really
18:18looked into it, it does make sense,
18:20because for example everyone looks
18:22different and unfortunately that's the
18:25way it is nowadays, the better you look
18:27, the more you achieve. If someone
18:30looks bad or isn't wearing makeup or
18:33isn't as likable, it's somehow harder
18:35to achieve anything. It's a current
18:38topic for today, it's relevant. It's
18:40everywhere. I think, what are you
18:42supposed to do if, for example, you
18:44weren't born in the best health, or if
18:46someone has eye problems or something,
18:48then it becomes somewhat more difficult
18:51for them. We thought about that too and
18:53then again, it did have a purpose after
18:55all.
18:56We have. For example, we started our
18:59religion class with a diagram of a
19:01clock, and we were supposed to see this
19:03clock as our "life clock," and then we
19:05were meant to imagine what time it is
19:08in our lives, if a full day represented
19:10our whole life, and what we had already
19:12achieved on that clock and where we saw
19:15ourselves at certain times. There were
19:19these turning points in our lives, or
19:21where you'd say one point was, of
19:23course, completing your education, or
19:26certain years, and that in religion
19:28class you start to think in a more
19:30self-reflective way about where life is
19:32heading. But then it continued,
19:35especially with ethical things, where
19:37you thought about your conscience. We
19:39often talked about a model of what one.
19:42For example, does when you simply—
19:45well, simple, banal examples—when you
19:47find a wallet with money in it, how do
19:49you react or what do you do with it,
19:52and that you are then, to some extent,
19:54accountable to yourself, but also how
19:57socially compatible you are as an
19:59individual and how you then play your
20:01part in society and contribute your
20:03share. Yeah.
20:05No, we’ve been talking about the
20:07advantages and disadvantages of money.
20:10Today we had the parable of the
20:13landowner and the day laborers and
20:16talked about how money also relates to
20:19justice. Last class, for example, we
20:23listened to a song by K.I.Z. and then
20:26talked about the role money plays in
20:28that song. I don’t subscribe to that
20:33saying or whatever, that you can buy
20:35anything with money. I mean, I don't
20:39think that's the case, right? Yeah. And
20:44those were things I was already
20:46generally familiar with, and I thought
20:48it was nice that we addressed them in
20:50class for a change. The fact that it
20:52was a topic in religion class surprised
20:54me a little.
20:55We’ve also been talking today about
20:57things like organ donors, topics that
20:59are a bit polarizing. We first talked
21:02about when organ donation is an option,
21:04and now with this new law that is
21:06supposed to obligate everyone to be an
21:08organ donor by default and how you can
21:11opt out of it. Yeah, and we also talked
21:14about how that all works. Then Ms.
21:17Weiß, she was of course a bit
21:19religiously inclined and said, yes, it
21:21somehow endangers the peace of the dead
21:23and everyone has a right to keep their
21:25body to themselves and when you are
21:27dead, you should still have that right.
21:30But I—and then of course some others,
21:32I included myself in that, said: If you
21:34are dead, then you have, well, sort of
21:36the minimum responsibility or duty one
21:38can have; if you can still save the
21:40lives of others, then you should
21:42somehow seize that and take the chance.
21:45I believe these are often things that
21:47have a lasting effect, meaning that you
21:49simply start to think about them during
21:50your everyday life. Like now, for
21:52instance, when you're standing at the
21:55checkout at Rea and holding your money
21:57in your hand, that you remember Rally a
22:00little bit. So yes, things like that.
22:03So it doesn't just go away immediately.
22:04Today, this organ donation thing,
22:06that's still on my mind, that we
22:07thought about it and that you keep it
22:09in your memory. And someone did. For
22:11example, someone from the class said,
22:12he said he isn't an organ donor yet,
22:14even though he received mail about it
22:16from his health insurance. And he also
22:18said that, once you think about it,
22:20once you talk about it in class, he
22:21definitely wants to do it. And I think
22:24that alone makes it worth it, when
22:25someone from the class says: "Wow, it's
22:27actually a really good thing and I have
22:29a positive view of it." I'm going to do
22:30it now, even though I haven't done it
22:32before. Now we are currently doing
22:35something about career choice and the
22:37profession in later life in general. We
22:40have different parables from old texts
22:43now. We made a table today, for example
22:47, where you tick off which professions
22:49you value the most, and I find things
22:51like that overall much more interesting
22:53because it's simply more true to life.
22:58Beauty, money. Career, all topics that
23:02are or will become important in the
23:04lives of young people. But there are
23:07other things that religious education
23:09provides for later life. We are
23:13visiting Michael Kromer. He has worked
23:15in various management positions and now
23:18has his own IT company. For him,
23:21dedication, competence, and know-how
23:24count. One of the most important traits
23:28one needs nowadays, especially in IT
23:30companies like ours, one of the most
23:32important roles or one of the important
23:35social skills is the ability to build
23:37teamwork. Um, teamwork only works if
23:41you have certain attributes, or bring
23:43them along, such as tolerance for one
23:45another, and developing understanding
23:47for each other. That is something that
23:49is absolutely important. Simply put,
23:51people have to get along well with each
23:53other so that they can work well
23:54together. And only in a team can you
23:57also achieve what is, uh, economically
24:00relevant as well. Being a lone wolf is
24:04one thing, but it's only when you can
24:06really bring together the strengths of
24:09the individual people behind it that
24:11things get better. Yes, I think the
24:16most important thing I learned in
24:18religious education is what is now
24:21called the option for the poor, meaning
24:23taking responsibility for people who
24:26are not as well off as we are here in
24:29Germany, in Europe, or also people who
24:32are not doing so well here in Germany.
24:35That was the most important thing for
24:37me. Later, I think the topic of
24:43preservation of creation was added.
24:44That is also something that is
24:46discussed intensively in the Bible. So,
24:51those are the two important topics that
24:52I picked up there.
24:55Religious education prepares you for
24:57life in terms of content, mentally, and
25:00in dealing with others, just like any
25:02other subject, yet in some ways on
25:04completely different levels. Are the
25:07students aware of that? Are they even
25:09thinking about their future yet? Well,
25:11when I talk about it with friends, it's
25:13always the case that they say things
25:14like, well, they are also of the
25:16opinion that, wow, I can't really
25:17commit to what job I want to do right
25:18now. And it used to be that you just
25:20sort of did your father's job or that
25:22of relatives, and then you continued
25:23that, and that was just how it was. And
25:25now there is simply much more available
25:27in terms of job offers, and there are
25:29many more possibilities and
25:30apprenticeships or degrees in different
25:32fields. And, um, yes, that simply
25:35because there are many more
25:36possibilities, there are also always
25:38many more doors open for you yourself
25:40that you can somehow pursue. And as a
25:43career changer, you can always continue
25:45working anywhere and keep educating
25:46yourself, because...
25:48there are so many possibilities, I mean
25:49, you don't have to go to university
25:50these days anymore. There are so many
25:52other ways to choose your profession,
25:54and therefore, I would like to study,
25:56even if I don't know what I should do
25:59with it afterwards, but yes, and I
26:01think acting is cool to do. Exactly.
26:03Yes, I would definitely like to have a
26:05family. A house in the countryside, I
26:07think that would be nice. I don't know,
26:09because I'm so used to the city, and at
26:12some point, I find it nicer to be
26:14closer to nature, and I'd really like
26:17to have children, too, and maybe a pet
26:19or something—just a really, I don't
26:22know, happy life, the way you imagine
26:24it.
26:27Yes, so my family will look like having
26:28children, in any case. Yes, preferably
26:32two to three children; I grew up with
26:34siblings myself and, uh, yeah, I
26:36wouldn't want to miss that, and that
26:38you definitely have a happy marriage,
26:41ideally with two or three children. Yes
26:43,
26:44that my children simply attend school
26:47normally, of course get a degree, and
26:49that they also pursue further education
26:52. Of course, I have to do something too
26:56, not just sit at home; uh, work. But
26:59not full-time, so that I still have a
27:01little time for my children, but not
27:03excessively, because the children also
27:05need to manage on their own in life so
27:07that they can be independent later on.
27:11And, uh, I imagine it with harmony at
27:14home; that's always important.
27:17Harmony, treating each other the right
27:20way. So it's actually as simple as
27:22Andreas Sigmund said. It's about
27:25leading a good life, but does that
27:28require religious education? Couldn't
27:30you have all of that in a
27:31non-denominational values class instead
27:33? The answer from our interviewees is
27:36clearly: No,
27:38we live in a Christian-based society. I
27:42think so. Of course, it's a general
27:45humanistic view that you have to take
27:48responsibility for society, but from my
27:50perspective, we have a completely
27:53different background for that in the
27:55Christian tradition, and I believe we
27:58shouldn't give up that background. Of
28:02course, ethics class can also provide a
28:05good foundation for a life grounded in
28:08values. But the state also assumes,
28:11within the framework of religious
28:13freedom, that many people are
28:14confessionally and religiously
28:16committed. And against the backdrop of
28:21this circumstance, the state
28:23incorporated the state-church law of
28:26the Weimar Constitution into Article
28:29140 of the Basic Law. This means that
28:34the state assumes that a person, if
28:36they so choose, is a religious being
28:39who has joined a religious community.
28:44And these religious communities have
28:46rights and obligations under the Basic
28:48Law, and one right is that they can
28:50also offer religious instruction for
28:52their members within the state school
28:54system. I love being a religion teacher
28:58, uh, because I keep noticing that my
29:01students think an awful lot about the
29:03question of the meaning of life, um,
29:05about the question of what comes after
29:07death, the question of how can I live
29:10well, how can I act rightly? And even
29:13if one wouldn't suspect it, because
29:14many, uh, young people don't come to
29:16our congregations or our church
29:17services anymore. I simply notice that
29:20many of our young people are still very
29:23religious and have a deep longing that
29:26they simply want to express, and to
29:29accompany them in their faith. I find
29:33that to be a wonderfully beautiful task
29:34, and that is why, for me, the
29:35profession of teacher and religion
29:37teacher is truly the best job I can
29:38imagine. The topic of value orientation
29:43, uh, getting to know other values,
29:46discussing other values, um, also
29:49getting to know the values of other
29:52religions, but in a reflected way, so
29:56not just talking about it in
29:58conversation, but really backed up with
30:01knowledge. Um, I consider that quite
30:05right and important. The other thing is
30:10the topic, um, accompaniment through or
30:15during the process of growing up. After
30:19all, the Gymnasium is a school that
30:21receives students as children and
30:23releases them as young adults. That
30:26means we accompany many developmental
30:29processes, and I consider it quite
30:32central that there is also a subject
30:35that can guarantee accompaniment
30:40through these processes, but not just
30:42personality formation and, um, finding
30:47or overcoming personal, smaller or
30:50larger crises, but, uh, I also consider
30:52it important in the sense that one
30:54accompanies someone in their faith,
30:56because we naturally also experience
30:58that fifth-graders are very Christian,
31:01then something gets lost during puberty
31:03, then things are questioned, and, uh,
31:06young adults have a different attitude
31:08again—that there is someone there who
31:10continuously accompanies the children,
31:13also in faith, I think that is good.
31:16And we actually notice that when we are
31:18in exchange with the students. I would
31:21try to formulate it like this: which
31:23subject exists that can even offer
31:26social skills anymore? Well,
31:28mathematics certainly doesn't belong to
31:29that. German is also relatively
31:32difficultly suited for that, so
31:34religion or ethics, or whichever class
31:36it may be, regardless of which
31:38religious community one belongs to. Um,
31:41and I say this now, I hope I am allowed
31:44to say this, um, as a self-confessed
31:46atheist, yes, but it also has to do
31:48with tolerance. Um, well, I respect
31:51everyone if they have their faith, but
31:53actually, even as an atheist, I say
31:56that religious education very much has
31:58a justification, and a very important
32:00one at that, because it is, in my
32:02conviction, one of the few subjects
32:05where social skills can also be
32:06imparted, where simply an understanding
32:09of morality—well, you can take the
32:11Ten Commandments as an example now, yes
32:14—is just like: Here are the
32:15boundaries, yes, and one shouldn't go
32:18beyond them, because um, religion also
32:20has a society-building quality.
32:25Our society is shaped by Christianity.
32:29Every person in Germany is free to
32:31practice their religion, and the state
32:33supports them in this through religious
32:35education. There, the questions about
32:38the meaning and purpose of life are
32:40asked and answered from the perspective
32:42of religious communities. It is about
32:45developing one's own horizon of meaning
32:47. from which dialogue can be conducted
32:50and life can be interpreted. Religious
32:53teachers help children and teenagers
32:55with their faith and with finding an
32:57identity that can change over the
32:59course of a young life. And the
33:02children and teenagers are aware of
33:04that too. When we meet Cornelius and
33:09Elisabeth, one of our first questions
33:11is: Should religious education be
33:13abolished? The answer is clear. No,
33:22because you learn things there that you
33:24just don't learn anywhere else, and I
33:25think it's cool that something like
33:26this exists.

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