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Public Lecture and Discussion: State without God2 July 2019,
7-9 p.m.
Leipziger Stadtbibliothek
Oberlichtsaal
In his book "State without God. Religion in the Secular Modern Age" constitutional rights expert Horst Dreier argues that in modern democracy the state may not identify with any particular religion. Only in a state without God all citizens can live in freedom according to their quite different convictions. The development of Germany towards a multireligious and multicultural society has created new fields of conflict between followers of different faiths and between them and the authorities. The reflection on the basic structures and questions of the secular state, its program, its profile and its problems therefore seems to be necessary.
Horst Dreier is Professor of Philosophy of Law, Constitutional and Administrative Law at the University of Würzburg.
The lecture will be followed by a public discussion, introduced by a commentary by Rochus Leonhardt, Dean of the Faculty of Theology at Leipzig University. The lecture and the discussion will be held in German. |
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Religion in China. Back to the Center of Politics and Society3 July 2019, 8-10 p.m.
Bibliotheca Albertina
Café Alibi
Public Lecture by Ian Johnson
For more than a hundred years, China embarked on a movement of forced secularization, with most religions heavily persecuted or banned. But religion is now back at the center of Chinese society and politics, with the country now awash with new temples, churches, and mosques—as well as cults, sects, and politicians trying to harness religion for their own ends. Churches are being demolished, Muslims forced to attend re-education camps, but also of the government promoting Buddhism and folk religion. How to reconcile these contradictory claims?
Ian Johnson is a Pulitzer-Prize winning writer focusing on society, religion, and history. He works out of Beijing, where he also teaches. Johnson has spent nearly twenty years in the greater China region.
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