On the failure of the doctrines of salvation A valediction, presented by Michael Naumann

»Full now — yea, more than full / behold our devastation«, Gryphius lamented in 1636. »But nothing will I say / of one thing — worse, I know, / Than death, more grim than plague, / or fire, or hunger's woe: / The treasure of the soul / was taken from so many.« At that time the Treaty of Westphalia was still twelve years away. Returning the treasure of the soul, the hope of salvation, was not part of the negotiations. The Thirty Years War was certainly not the first time in Europethat those involved started preparing a hell on earth for others in the name of God. Almost from the outset, the history of Christianity has been marked by religious wars great and small – one need only thin of the Cathars in the 12th century, let alone the murderous conflicts with other religions and their realms, such as those with the Muslims during the crusades.
And what about since then? Today, after the Enlightenment and following the decline of totalitarianism's substitute religions, the condition of the European spirit seems to be characterized by crises of faith, the erosion of values, loss of faith and apostasy, de-Christianization and secularization – concepts from a pattern of disintegration. The churches are no longer a defining force in the lives of the majority of Europeans. Emotional communities, all professing to offer meaning and societal explanation are ten a penny.
To what extent can a religious ethic have any influence at all on modern societies' dynamics of change? Are religion's doctrines of salvation compatible with democracy and the liberal state?
The symposium covers a time spanning the religious wars of the 17th century up to the debates on human rights and globalisation of the early 21st century. Those invited to participate include critical observers of the study of religion and of ideology. Their field of research includes philosophies of life, traditional religions and the idols of substitute religions.