Even though the total German population increased by 280,000 persons in 2018, the Catholic Church lost about 300,000 members compared to the previous year, the Protestant Church as many as 400,000. The group of nondenominational people grew by more than 800,000 persons, the group of denominational Muslims by about 100,000 persons. This is the conclusion of the overview "Religions affiliations 2018", which was recently published on the website of the Research Group on Worldviews in Germany (fowid).

In its 15 years of existence, the Giordano Bruno Stiftung, as a think tank for humanism and enlightenment, has been able to make an impressive difference. But who will carry on the "torch of enlightenment" when the current active members have to retire due to their age? With the summer forum from August 7 to 9 at the gbs headquarters in Oberwesel, the foundation specifically addresses young people who want to become involved in promoting the guiding principles of evolutionary humanism.

The Federal Constitutional Court already pointed out in the 1960s that the state can only be a "home of all citizens" if it adheres to the principle of worldview neutrality. The Giordano Bruno Stiftung therefore calls for a corresponding clarification in Article 20 of the German Basic Law. In the future, the article must not only mention the principles of democracy, the welfare state, and federalism, but also the principle of the worldview neutrality of the state.

With the Basic Law, which came into force in 1949, essential elements of the UN Declaration of Human Rights adopted one year earlier were incorporated into the German constitution. 70 years of Basic Law are therefore a good reason to celebrate this milestone in German history. At the same time they provide an opportunity to reflect critically on the question of whether the constitutional text is a constitutional reality. For this reason, the ceremony of the Institut für Weltanschauungsrecht (ifw - Institute for Secular Law) on May 22 will not only focus on the bright sides of the German legal system, but also on its dark sides.