The NRP 58
Religious pluralism
Until just a few decades ago, Switzerland’s religious makeup was defined primarily by the national churches. Today, the picture is one of pluralism. The immigrants who have put down roots here have established new religious communities. The result is that in addition to the Protestants and Catholics belonging to the national churches and Jews, Switzerland is now home to Russian and Greek Orthodox Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims belonging to a variety of denominations.
The situation of the national churches has also changed. While fewer and fewer people go to church regularly and more and more of their members are turning their backs on them altogether, both free churches and esoteric movements are thriving.
Religions, State and Society
This situation has put religion firmly back on the map of public awareness. Issues such as the building of a minaret or a Buddhist temple or the teaching of religion in schools are now a subject of heated debate. Both the state and society at large are indeed facing new problems. How can the various new religious communities be integrated successfully in Switzerland? How do the various religions communicate with each other and with those sections of the population that are not religious at all? Does the state have to rethink how it stands in relation to religion and to play a more active role than it has done hitherto? Understanding and communicating
It was to answer these questions that the Federal Council on 2nd December 2005 approved the National Research Programme «Religions in Switzerland» (NRP 58) and earmarked ten million Swiss francs of public funds for this purpose. The research projects each have a term of three years. The scientific work began in the summer of 2007.
The NRP 58 has three basic objectives: These are
- to explore the fundamental changes taking place in both individual religiosity and Switzerland’s religious makeup,
- to provide an empirical basis for religious and educational policymaking,
- to investigate how the peaceful coexistence of the various religious communities, and that of both religious and non-religious individuals, can be promoted.
The NFP 58 is interdisciplinary in design and the twenty-eight projects approved will bring together researchers from the fields of religion, sociology, history, theology, ethnology, Islamic studies, Tibetology, political science, communication sciences, business, education, social pedagogy and gerontology.
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