Going to Europe and experiencing its religiosity was an extremely eye opening experience. In some parts of Europe, signs of religion were very prevalent. In others, they were barely visible.
Though I am a man with roots in the Christian faith, I did my best to maintain an objective eye when learning about the different beliefs held in various cities I visited. There were some things about religious expression that were directly stated to me, and other observations merely inferred, but I came away with insight on the role of religion in Europe. Initially, I was inclined to believe the Christian church was strong worldwide and had some type of place in the lives of Europeans citizens, but reality soon settled in.
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| Mary holding Jesus after his death. Very beautiful artwork. |
Statistics affirm that church attendance in Europe is declining. While in Rome, I visited numerous churches that had been turned into museums or even commercial locations. Some churches have sold their properties in fear that they would loose the church completely, reasoning that it was better than barricade the doors from lack of use. Some churches are seen as famous landmarks and nothing else. Even though these landmarks were once holy and sacred places, they have been turned into museums and tourists locations that have maintained little moral relevance in the eyes of many tourists and Europeans.
Personally, I wanted to believe that church attendance wasn’t too sparse in Europe, but it is easy to see numbers are declining. The Religious Trends News Blog says that in 1970, “Austria was more than 87 percent Catholic. By 1991, the figure had dropped to 78 percent and by 2001, to 74 percent.” It was also said that in Spain, “where 81 percent of the population is Catholic, two-thirds of respondents in a 2002 survey said they rarely or never attend services”. Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela said that half of Spaniards ignore religious teachings. Statistics from Eastern Europe affirm youth 18-29 years of age who say they are “without religion” increased from 20% in 1989 to 29% in 1999.
These statistics were consistent with what our Brussels instructor, Gareth Harding, told my class during lecture. He said he does not know anyone that attends a church service and he has lived in Brussels for almost a decade. He also stated that most Europeans are not religious. During a conversation focused on marriage, we were told most Europeans take advantage of civil unions which share the same financial benefits or marriage, but do not require the same moral standards found in the Bible. Same sex marriage is also legal in Belgium, the capital of Brussels, while the U.S. continues to debate the legalization of same sex marriage. He also stated there are more children born out of wedlock in Europe than in the U.S.
To me, these revelations were stunning. Being a citizen of the United States, a relatively young country in comparison to Europe, it was pointed out to me that my country’s religious presence might be a sign of its youth. The U.S. has seen a great shift in morals in terms of what is seen as decent and permissible in advertising. There once was a time, only a few decades ago where a woman’s belly button being shown in the media was morally offensive to the masses. Now, woman often appear in advertising scantily dressed and shown as sexualized objects of desire. Although, there has been change in the United States, it still did not compare to the level of sexuality I witnessed in Europe.
While in Prague, I noted the correlation between a sexualized culture and the absence of a religious presence. In gift shops there were dice that displayed sexual positions on each side of the die and condoms with sayings such as “I love Prague.” At news stands I saw scantily dressed women on the covers of magazines which were not hidden or placed in the back of the street stand, but proudly showcased as “flagship” magazines. Also, at an eyewear shop, the photos on the glass of the store showed pairs of glasses hanging out of plump red lips. I discussed this particular ad with one of my instructors, Laura Johnston, and she agreed that sex is a dominant advertising tool used in Europe. On the Charles Bridge, there were artists that drew caricatures of visitors and many of their displays were often as sexualized women with their breasts showing.
Paris is known as a city of romance and I saw plenty of it during my stay. Parisians were very open to public displays of affection, even more so than I had ever seen in the United States United States.
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| Jesus giving the keys of the church to St. Peter |
Rome, the home of the Pope, was a little different. I did not feel an intense sexualized culture, but instead experienced a religious atmosphere that seemed to permeate the city. Although, there are many priests and ministers championing the beliefs of Catholicism membership is declining. Perhaps this is why the Pope is appealing to a younger generation to use mass media to spread their religious views to halt declining membership.
On the 45th World Communications Day, Pope Benedict the IVX, urges Christians to use social networks to spread the news about God that he beliefs can change the lives of men.
The Pope said to via the Vatican media outlet, “I would like then to invite Christians, confidently and with an informed and responsible creativity, to join the network of relationships which the digital era has made possible. This is not simply to satisfy the desire to be present, but because this network is an integral part of human life. The web is contributing to the development of new and more complex intellectual and spiritual horizons, new forms of shared awareness. In this field too we are called to proclaim our faith that Christ is God, the Saviour of humanity and of history, the one in whom all things find their fulfillment.”
“I invite young people above all to make good use of their presence in the digital world…where the new technologies are contributing greatly to the preparations.”
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| Me enjoying the Vatican! |
Tristian Williams
Strategic Communications
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