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[nightrose83]

Hi all,

Had a scenario/some questions about Germany that I'd like some details on.

Comments

[germankitty]

I think there might be differences regarding religion, too; religion seems less prevalent in every-day life here, though I'm not sure whether it only feels that way to me, whether it's because we're more private about religion, or less religious on average.

I was thinking about that, actually; I'm in my mid-fifties, and NO ONE among my friends and neighbours ever offers or asks to pray for someone or something, for example. A few of my mother-in-law's elderly friends might offer to pray in exceptional cases and if they're known to be pious, but that's pretty much it.

Some more things OTOH:

Germans don't tend to thank God in public for their talents and/or accomplishments. (Side note: We're also not nationalistic. A backlash to excessive nationalism under Hitler, sure, but as a result you won't find many German flags etc. on display in general; it's actually considered tacky in some circles.)

Nobody cares what agenda one's minister might promote, not even if you're in politics. Religion/faith is a private matter and generally not spread about.

"Being a Christian" in Germany means you've been baptized either Catholic or (generic) Protestant; it doesn't say anything about your views on life and people. We also have much fewer denominations than the US -- AFAIK, only Methodists and Baptists are officially "churches". Organizations like Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons, say, are considered "sects" which has quite different social and/or legal ramifications.