Religiousity of Youngsters. An empirical aproach

Die Fragestellung Diese Studie hat sowohl ein empirisches als auch religionspädagogisch-konzeptionelles Interesse. Auf der empirischen Ebene wird die Religiosität Jugendlicher in den Blick genommen. Dazu wird untersucht, wie Jugendliche Erfahrungen mit Religion sowie ihren persönlichen Glauben thematisieren. Besonderes Augenmerk wird auf die dabei verwendete Semantik gerichtet. Es wird untersucht, in welcher Beziehung diese zum Kontext christlicher Tradition steht (Prokopf 2000; Prokopf/Ziebertz 2000): 1) Wie thematisieren Jugendliche Religion und Glaube, welche Semantiken nutzen Sie dabei? 2) Sind diese Semantiken von Elementen christlicher Tradition geprägt? Religionspädagogisch-konzeptionell wird gefragt, ob das didaktische Prinzip der Korrelation gewinnbringend im Kontext heutigen RU angewandt werden kann. Sollte der religiöse Diskurs Jugendlicher nicht ausschließlich individuell gespeist, sondern auch von christlichen Traditionsbeständen geprägt sein, sind Entwürfe korrelativer Didaktik zu unterstützen, die Erfahrung und Tradition gleichermaßen konzeptuell aufnehmen. Die Fragen lauten: 1) Ist eine Konzeption von lebensweltbezogener Didaktik im Rahmen der Korrelationsdidaktik möglich, die anschlussfähig an den aktuellen Diskurs Jugendlicher über Religion mit dessen spezifischer Semantik ist, ohne sich dem Vorwurf des ‚Induktivismus’ (Abhängigkeit von der Lebenswelt Jugendlicher ohne eigenes theologisches Profil) auszusetzen? 2) Kann diese Didaktik so konzipiert werden, dass sie ein klares Profil hinsichtlich zu vermittelnder christlicher Traditionselemente beinhaltet, ohne sich dem Vorwurf des ‚Deduktionismus` (Ableitung von einem Traditionskanon) auszusetzen? Ergebnisse: Die Weiterentwicklung der Korrelationsdidaktik aus semiotischer Perspektive bewirkt, dass die in ihrem Namen geführte Beziehungshaftigkeit (co-relatio) wirklich eingelöst werden kann. Es geht um den Entwurf eines religionspädagogischen Konzeptes, welches aktuelle Erfahrung und Tradition in Bezug auf Religion in einem organischen Zusammenhang zu sehen vermag. Dieses Konzept muss korrelativ im strengen Sinne angelegt sein, so, wie es von der Korrelationstheologie Tillichs ausgehend bereits möglich gewesen wäre. Tradition und Erfahrung waren bei Tillich als einander wechselseitig bedingend zugeordnet. Korrelation galt es nach ihm daher auch nicht ‚herzustellen’, wie das immer wieder in der Korrelationsdidaktik vergeblich versucht worden ist, sondern die schon bestehenden Korrelationen zwischen Tradition und Erfahrung sollten ihm zufolge ‚aufgedeckt‘ werden (vgl. Tillich nach Ziebertz 1994, 72f). Aufgrund der dokumentierten Verwobenheit von Erfahrung und Tradition in religiösen Semantiken ist korrelativ auf einen Traditionsbegriff zu rekurrieren, der diese Verschränktheit repräsentiert.Questioning and Method of study This study of the images of religion held by young people is designed to reach conclusions about the religiousness of this particular demographic group in order to find a base for religious com-munication. For the purpose of practical religious education, such knowledge is important in order to understand the starting point of religious processes. From a scientific point of view, this study aims to understand the "semantics of talking about God" and make a competent contribu-tion to the theological dialogue in the modern age. Our study begins by asking in an empirically descriptive fashion: How do young people think and talk about God today? What are the religious semantics attached to their image of God (e.g. linguistic images, symbols, concepts)? We then ask the questions with theologically hermeneutical relevance: Are these semantics evi-dence of the degradation of the traditional Christian picture of God, or are they an evolutionary development thereof? In what ways, if any, can one connect these religious semantics to Chris-tian elements of tradition? The empirical material for this work was provided by a larger study with the Title "Korrelation von christlicher Tradition und individueller religiöser Semantik" (see Prokopf/Ziebertz 2000). In connection to this work, 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted. These were guided by a questionnaire on topics such as the 'functional aspects' of religion (dealing with crises, the meaning of life etc.) and the substantial aspects of religion (e.g. the image of God held by young people), aswell. Four young people were chosen as examples for their very differing views of God. The interview segments, in turn, will be evaluated in two steps. Results: The semantics in relation to God as offered by young people analysed here are dominated by a dialectic between discontinuity and continuity of traditional Christianity. They can indeed quite often be categorised as a discontinuity: God is referred to as a ‘construction‘, as ‘part of a greater power‘, or as an ‘aura‘. The same young people are simultaneously very close to Chris-tian tradition when they connect God to the human conscience, refer to Man’s absolute depend-ence on God, and an absolute omnipresent greater power that personifies the ‘good‘. There is obviously not just differences, but also very many similarities. One positive conclusion is there-for that the semantics encountered here are applicable to theology as we know it. For our continued theological and religious educational work with young people we must stop seeing unbridgeable chasms between the modern world and the biblical image of God. It is time to take the conditions offered by the modern age and its “compulsion to commit heresy“ (P.L.Berger) seriously. Even though religiousness today might appear individualised, de-institutionalised, syncretic, and constructivistic, it still contains a multitude of ties to Christian tradition. We can summarily say for the four youths presented here that there is neither a “new“ truth that has fallen out of the sky, nor is this religion simply the ‘leftovers‘ of the Christian faith. We have shown how young people, using the resources at their disposal, try to express their religious experiences and world views. For “Christian ears“, however, these statements often sound “heretical in character“. Here one may bring in all those aspects that differentiate these world views from Christianity as represented by the church, but, as we have shown, that argument would have to be examined very critically. One could also (probably the better option) view all the positively connected view points. This does not mean simply taking all available attitudes at face value, but rather deal with them in an open, critical manner. Religious commu-nication can offer young people’s world views a new depth through the rich forms offered by Christian tradition. This new depth would not be an “outside“ influence, but work with the ma-terial and issues which are already in place. Assimilating worldly religious views does not mean the end of Christian tradition that has now been “superceded“. The task at hand for professional religious educators is to build the theological and hermeneutical competence necessary for opening young people’s belief issues for issues of Christian tradition. There is no single, unified image of God among young people today. This is a good time to keep in mind that the Bible doesn’t offer a single unified image of God either. God appears to us in new and different forms at different times. Uniformity is not the key to continuity within tradition. Continuity can also be achieved through breaks in the path, and is, in the final analysis, transformational. The chal-lenge for religious education as a whole is to develop the processes of religious communication for young people so that the biblical Christian image of God in its various forms may come to light ‘through and by‘ the modern pluralistic society