Policy Press
Four Atheist convictions, Christian beliefs or ‘keeping things open’? Patterns of world views among three generations in East German families
Abstract
East Germany is a region where Christian traditions have largely vanished and most people have grown up without a religious socialisation. After the socialist regime ended, the conditions for adopting religious perspectives changed significantly. Ideas about the afterlife are a significant part of this religious reawakening and these ideas are adopted mainly by younger generations. This chapter presents findings of a research project that was undertaken at the University of Leipzig between 2003 and 2006. The subject of the project was change in religiosity and world views among three East German generations during the GDR period and after 1989. The interviews and statistical information presented here illustrate a profound secularisation as well as slight tendencies toward de-secularisation. The East German example clearly indicates that enforced secularisation in the GDR succeeded in forming secular and atheist perceptions of the world in a large part of the population.
Abstract
East Germany is a region where Christian traditions have largely vanished and most people have grown up without a religious socialisation. After the socialist regime ended, the conditions for adopting religious perspectives changed significantly. Ideas about the afterlife are a significant part of this religious reawakening and these ideas are adopted mainly by younger generations. This chapter presents findings of a research project that was undertaken at the University of Leipzig between 2003 and 2006. The subject of the project was change in religiosity and world views among three East German generations during the GDR period and after 1989. The interviews and statistical information presented here illustrate a profound secularisation as well as slight tendencies toward de-secularisation. The East German example clearly indicates that enforced secularisation in the GDR succeeded in forming secular and atheist perceptions of the world in a large part of the population.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of tables and figures v
- Notes on contributors vi
- Acknowledgements x
- Foreword xi
- Introduction 1
-
Religion, spirituality, cultural resources and creating meaning
- Religious belonging and spiritual questioning: a Western European perspective on ageing and religion 23
- Spirituality: a means for achieving integration in personal and community spheres in an ageing Singapore 37
- Integrating the sacred in creative ageing 51
- Atheist convictions, Christian beliefs or ‘keeping things open’? Patterns of world views among three generations in East German families 73
- Beyond dialogue: entering the fourth space in old age 91
-
Norms, values and gerontology
- The long road to a moralisation of old age 107
- How to balance generations: solidarity dilemmas in a European perspective 123
- Pension systems and the challenge of population ageing: what does the public think? 139
- Ethos of care and environment in long-stay care settings: impacts on residents’ lives 161
- Engineering substantially prolonged human lifespans: biotechnological enhancement and ethics 177
-
Ageing and wisdom? Conflicts and contested developments
- Wisdom: a humanist approach to valuing older people 201
- Social practices, moral frameworks and religious values in the lives of older people 217
- ‘Woo-hoo, what a ride!’ Older people, life stories and active ageing 233
- Does eldership mean anything in the contemporary West? 249
- Talk about old age, health and morality 261
-
Afterwords
- Exploring positive images of ageing: the production of calendars 277
- Gateways to humanistic gerontology 283
- Index 289
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of tables and figures v
- Notes on contributors vi
- Acknowledgements x
- Foreword xi
- Introduction 1
-
Religion, spirituality, cultural resources and creating meaning
- Religious belonging and spiritual questioning: a Western European perspective on ageing and religion 23
- Spirituality: a means for achieving integration in personal and community spheres in an ageing Singapore 37
- Integrating the sacred in creative ageing 51
- Atheist convictions, Christian beliefs or ‘keeping things open’? Patterns of world views among three generations in East German families 73
- Beyond dialogue: entering the fourth space in old age 91
-
Norms, values and gerontology
- The long road to a moralisation of old age 107
- How to balance generations: solidarity dilemmas in a European perspective 123
- Pension systems and the challenge of population ageing: what does the public think? 139
- Ethos of care and environment in long-stay care settings: impacts on residents’ lives 161
- Engineering substantially prolonged human lifespans: biotechnological enhancement and ethics 177
-
Ageing and wisdom? Conflicts and contested developments
- Wisdom: a humanist approach to valuing older people 201
- Social practices, moral frameworks and religious values in the lives of older people 217
- ‘Woo-hoo, what a ride!’ Older people, life stories and active ageing 233
- Does eldership mean anything in the contemporary West? 249
- Talk about old age, health and morality 261
-
Afterwords
- Exploring positive images of ageing: the production of calendars 277
- Gateways to humanistic gerontology 283
- Index 289
