Easter highlights changing spiritual landscape

Jörg Stolz says faith is becoming more individualised in Switzerland (edipresse) UNIL

The religious message of Easter is diminishing in importance for many Swiss, with some turning towards other faiths and beliefs to satisfy their spiritual needs.

swissinfo spoke to Jörg Stolz, a sociologist and expert in religion, about the evolution of the Christian faith in Switzerland.

Like many other countries, Switzerland is undergoing religious change. The Roman Catholic and Protestant churches – the country’s two main traditional religions – are going through difficult times, with many Christians feeling disillusioned.

At the same time, there has been a move towards other beliefs, inspired by different cultures and the increasing number of religious communities in Switzerland.

Stolz is professor of the sociology of religion and head of the Observatory of Religions in Switzerland, a body which researches the religious landscape in Switzerland.

He told swissinfo that spiritual needs are profoundly human and are still part of modern society.

swissinfo: What is the underlying message of Easter for a consumer society like ours?

Jörg Stolz: I don’t agree that we live in a purely consumer society. We live in a late modern age, where the different elements of society are highly differentiated and where individuals can set themselves apart as never before.

This means there aren’t just more opportunities to consume, but also more opportunities to experience new feelings and discover spirituality.

So people can still relate today to the deeper meaning of Easter. But sociologically, we have seen that the Christian Easter message [of forgiveness of sins and new life] has lost some of its strength compared with the message of other religions.

swissinfo: So, on the one hand, society seems to have rediscovered its need for spirituality, but on the other, the Christian churches are undergoing a crisis. Is there not a contradiction there?

J.S.: The major churches, especially the Protestant ones, are in my view facing a crisis because they want to be all encompassing. This is not realistic as our society becomes more individualistic. Because they have to conform to society’s general views, they lack visibility, and this is what they need to become strong again.

The feeling that religion is losing ground is linked to the fact that the churches often no longer meet everybody’s religious needs. We have to understand that spiritual needs are profoundly human and that they always rise to the surface, even in our modern society.

swissinfo: In Switzerland too, there seems to be a trend towards a “do-it-yourself”, or individualised, religion. What consequences could this have?

J.S.: It’s true that there is a trend towards a “do-it-yourself” religion. But that is simply the expression of a more individual society and the weaknesses of organised religion.

Strong religious movements give clear guidance to their members and try to counter the “do-it-yourself” trend. The biggest consequence of “do-it-yourself” religion is that it offers little comfort to individuals in times of crisis since there is no social network or backup.

swissinfo: How do you rate the success of independent churches such as the International Christian Fellowship, which preaches the Word during rock and pop concerts, which are attended by hundreds of young people?

J.S.: ICF is one of the most successful products of Switzerland’s evangelical movement. The movement, apart from a few exceptions, usually combines a strict message with a creative presentation of this message.

When it comes down to selling faith, the evangelicals are not choosy about their sales methods. So it makes sense to hold rock concerts that pack in the faithful. ICF just happens to be the group that does this best.

swissinfo: What should traditional churches do to stop people leaving?

J.S.: The churches must pay more attention to people’s changed needs and they shouldn’t be afraid to defend their own and uncomfortable positions. That is, of course, easier said than done.

My opinion is that the churches should look abroad and see which new models are successful and copy them.

swissinfo: Switzerland is due to receive a visit from the Pope in June. Do you think the Pontiff can contribute something to the dialogue between the Protestants and the Catholics?

J.S.: Switzerland is traditionally split along Catholic-Protestant lines. Some cantons are Protestant, others Catholic, and some are home to both confessions.

My view is that the Pope is someone who hinders ecumenical dialogue. His stances are typically a bone of contention between Catholics and Protestants. And he is also considered to have slowed down the Catholic Church’s overtures towards other confessions and religions that began after the Second Vatican Council, rather than to have sped them up.

swissinfo: Eastern thought and immigrants, many of them Muslim, have helped change the religious landscape in Switzerland. What influence has this had on the traditional Christian denominations?

J.S.: That’s true. Switzerland is changing from a bi-confessional nation to a country with a multitude of religions. But plurality means that each of these religions is facing tough decisions concerning the truth and the teachings of the other religions.

You can decide your religion is always right or say that the others are basically saying the same thing as you, only in a different way.

Or you can choose to have an inter-religious dialogue, which means the others could be right. The major Christian churches have already travelled some way down that road.

swissinfo-interview: Raffaela Rossello

easter

Religion in Switzerland:
44% Catholic
37% Protestant
12% Atheist
4.5% Muslim

easter

The Christian religion is still the dominant one in Switzerland, although the country is becoming increasingly secular.

Increasing numbers of people are leaving the traditional churches because they don’t want to pay church tax, don’t believe, are no longer interested, or oppose the religious message or the way that it is conveyed.

But more people are becoming members of other religions, joining free churches or forming their own set of beliefs.