Faith and democracy: endangered relationship in Austria?

Faith and democracy: endangered relationship in Austria?

In Austria, the role of religion in democracy is increasingly critically questioned. At the Austrian pastoral conference in Salzburg in Salzburg, the pastoral theologist Regina Polak illustrated the urgency of political education in order to avoid instrumentalization of customs and cultural Christianity. In parallel to the current discussion, Polak found that religious belonging can either strengthen democratic values ​​or favor authoritarian tendencies. The study "What does Austria believe?", Which was carried out by the University of Vienna and ORF, shows that many religious people have a preference for authoritarian leadership structures. 19 percent of religious respondents state to prefer a “strong guide”. This could have dramatic consequences for democracy, warned Polak, so that basic ethical formation for all age groups is required to counteract these tendencies, such as New life reported.