Start your own religion?
In Germany there is a legally guaranteed freedom of religion and belief: "The freedom of the faith, conscience and freedom of religious and ideological confession inviolable." (Art. 4 GG) If you have developed your own religious worldview, you too can found your own religion.
What you need:
- Your own religious manifesto (statute)
- An individual message that characterizes your religion and makes your faith unique (purpose of the association)
- People who share your faith (at least seven)
- Name and seat of the community
- At least seven authorized signatories
How to start your own religion
- In order for your own religious worldview to develop into a recognized religion, you must present one or more theses.
- You must publish your personal religious manifesto so that others can share it. You can do this, for example, by spreading your religious worldview over the Internet, a create your own website, blog your theses diligently and/or write a book about it and publish.
- The concept of religion is not clearly defined scientifically. There are hundreds of definitions, none of which have been accepted as universally valid.
- However, the founding of a religious community is clearly regulated by law: since 1919 - according to Article 137 IV of the According to the Weimar Imperial Constitution, religious societies have legal capacity according to the general provisions of civil law awarded. This old provision has now become part of the Basic Law and can be read in Article 4 of the Basic Law.
- In order for your belief to have the potential to found a religion of its own, it is essential that you consider the rights of the individual as guaranteed in the Basic Law. Your beliefs must be constitutional.
- Basically, you justify your own religion in practice by founding an "association" according to Article 9, Paragraph 1 GG and Paragraph 4, the main purpose of which must be non-economic in nature. Seven members are required for founding, as well as a statute, a stipulated “purpose of the association” and the definition of the name and registered office of the association.
- The registration and registration of the "association" takes place at the responsible district court. This requires the legally valid signatures of all seven members.
- On this basis you can develop your religious community. To have this recognized, you must demonstrate the stability of the association over a period of time and also recruit a not inconsiderable number of additional members, so that stability and growth can be clearly seen are.
- In order to become a corporation under public law - and thus a recognized religious community - you must also show that the structure of your members is always constitutional and law-abiding proves.
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