What is Christianity like in Europe?

[watchamadoodle]

The European Christians or ex-Christians I've met on forums often seem to be fundamentalist/evangelicals. This is surprising to me, because Christianity is no longer common in Europe. I've especially noticed that the UK has a lot of wacko Christians. Of course, the forums I have visited might attract this type of Christian.

Another thing that puzzles me is Russia. Orthodox Christianity has been growing rapidly in popularity over the last 15 years or so. It seems that Putin has been promoting Orthodoxy as part of encouraging Russian cultural pride?

Apparently, there are also regions where Christianity is more like ethnicity. People might identify as Catholic without actually believing in God.

[robvalue]

I'm in England, and I haven't experienced a whole lot of religious stuff. I've barely been bothered by it, except the occasional JW coming to my door. There probably are plenty of nutcases, but I've not seen them causing much of a nuisance, at least where I have lived. I only personally know a couple of religious people, and they are just lip service types. I'm sure if I made the effort to seek them out I'd be surprised, but I have no desire to.

[FatAndFaithless]

As far as Russia goes, the Eastern Orthodox Church is a pretty large influence on Russian politics, and Putin is all too happy to push it. In fact, as far as I can remember (and I'll look for soruces in a moment) opening/holding/promoting any other Christian denomination (let alone another religion) has been restricted by law.

I'll be back in a bit with some sources if I can find 'em.

EDIT: While their constitution 'claims' to be secular and hold all religions as equal before the law, apparently any religious group considered "non-traditional" (read non-Russian Orthodox) can be subjected to restrictions, police raids, financial discrimination, and can have their religious literature banned, and in some cases even have their entire religious group banned in Russia.

https://www.pcusa.org/news/2011/11/22/fr...ed-limits/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_...us_freedom
http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/essa...-in-russia

[Alex K]

Apparently, there are also regions where Christianity is more like ethnicity. People might identify as Catholic without actually believing in God.

Large parts of Germany for example. People have very wishy-washy beliefs and church and religion are upheld as traditions. The two large churches (roman catholic and the association of evangelical protestant churches EKD) are established as almost-government institutions, the church tax is collected by the state, and there is confessional religious instruction in state schools. Almost everyone is baptised or registered either protestant or catholic out of family tradition, but if you look at the numbers actually attending church outside christmas, they are very low. The former socialist east has a larger percentage of openly atheist people.

[TubbyTubby]

Difficult to really tell I suppose unless you're part of that culture.

I'm in a pretty 'typical' UK city and of an office of about 50 people, I know of a couple or 3 christians, a muslim and a JW. I can't be sure of the total obviously but my spider senses don't twitch too much and I get a general feeling of non-belief or just not bothered.

Lile Rob, I get the occasional JW door knockers but they're only once or twice a year and so much fun to torment I don't mind. Other than the odd street corner nutjob that's about it. We have our cathedral and mosques and they are likely well attended but you rarely see any public shows of religion - almost as if it has a bit of a stigma really which is fine with me.

I think that's probably quite typical of much of England as far as I can tell, apart from some areas of major cities that now have huge majorities of one or another religious cult of course.

[robvalue]

The number of religious people in England drops by one each time I meet one. *Vroom*

Someone's gotta do it.

[Napoléon]

Speaking as a student from the UK, most people I know would probably identify as agnostic.

I know a couple people from the Christian Union at my university but aside from that you wouldn't know anyone else was christian unless you asked, it doesn't seem to be such an important thing as in the US. Nobody I know goes to church, except for one guy I knew who went bell ringing, but he was a little weird like that.

From the few conversations I've had with people, most just come across as though they haven't even given the question much thought at all. You're almost scoffed at if you try to have an intellectual discussion about god, at least in my experience. It's just not something people seem to give a shit about.

[robvalue]

I think you're right. I'm more than likely to have met many people who would identify as xian, but I would have no idea that they were. And if a discussion were to break out, I imagine I'd hear the creak and groan of gears that haven't moved for a long time.

Actually it would be funny to place bets. What's first, Pascal's wager? Argument from ignorance? Appeal to popularity? Circular bible logic?

[Alex K]

From the few conversations I've had with people, most just come across as though they haven't even given the question much thought at all. You're almost scoffed at if you try to have an intellectual discussion about god, at least in my experience. It's just not something people seem to give a shit about.

Maybe it's like here, religion is an institution, and hence automatically boring

[abaris]

The European Christians or ex-Christians I've met on forums often seem to be fundamentalist/evangelicals.

Then you certainly don't get the right impression. Evengelicals are the fringe of the fringe in European countries. They don't count. Most people would identify as either catholic or protestant. Protestant meaning mainstream protestatism, not in any way fundamentalist. Neither catholicism nor mainstream protestanism in their large majority, take the bible literally. They don't reject evolution of believe in Adam and Eve to have been real persons. Both denominations, at least in Western Europe, don't have much influence in politics either. The people are largely secular and according to a pretty recent international poll, 58 percent of my country (Austria) identified as not being religious at all. Yet 63 percent still belong to the catholic church, which can only be explained by the church being rather a tradition than a matter of faith.

The most important difference between Europe and the States when it comes to religion, is the fact, that religion usually isn't a topic at all. Even with close aquaintances you hardly ever talk about it. It's also not a matter of public debate. Well, usually, of course the news report when the pope said something important, they also report on religious leaders of other faiths making remarks regarding everyday life, but it's not that important. Also politicians don't bring their religion or lack thereoff into public debate. If someone would constantly ramble about the necessity of bringing something biblical into the law, they simply wouldn't be elected. There are outspoken christian parties in the political spectrum, but they don't make it into the parliaments, since the majority of the people don't want what they're selling.

To give you another view on the matter, our president calls himself an agnostic. And he got elected twice in a landslide. His office is no way as powerful as the American president or the French one, but he's still the head od state, expected to represent the republic abroad. The former mayor of Berlin was very open about him being gay. Also the former mayor of Hamburg was openly gay. A christian democrat. The former german secretary of foreign affairs was also openly gay. So you see, religious sentiment or open bigotry doesn't play a role.