A taboo break that wasn’t necessary

Probably not even Union politicians want to go back to the times when pastors in rural regions on election day called on the churchgoers from the pulpit to put their cross with the party with the C in their name. The once strictly separated social milieus have long since broken up. In the age of advancing individualization, this practice seems absurd.

A little more than half of Germans still belong to a Christian religion (including around 22 million Catholics and around 20 million Protestants). But the binding force of the two large churches is also being eroded. Dealing with Islam is a political issue in Germany that arouses emotions. Catholicism and Protestantism were not recently.

The SPD has now changed that. In an election campaign spot she warns against voting for “arch-Catholic Laschet confidants for whom sex before marriage is taboo”. There is also a photo of the head of the NRW State Chancellery, Nathanael Liminski, who, as a young man, had promoted conservative Catholicism and spoke out against “any kind of artificial contraception” on a talk show. This statement concerned his own private life. Other quotes from him from the period concerned and belittled the feelings of homosexuals.

But for whatever reason: The SPD commercial aims at beliefs (“arch Catholic”) and portrays them as backward and dangerous. In doing so, he violates a taboo, because the degradation of a religious view in an election campaign cannot lead to anything good. To stir up fear of the religion of a minority, namely Islam, has so far been the specialty of the AfD.

The practice is also problematic with regard to the underlying image of society, which is apparently widespread in the SPD. When it comes to minorities such as people of color, the queer community or trans people, whose strengthening many from the left have recently committed to strengthening, party leader Saskia Esken tries to close ranks and did not shy away from her party friend Wolfgang To denigrate Thierse.

A diverse society not only includes minorities that are currently receiving new public attention, but also those groups that seem less “hip”, including deeply religious people, evangelicals and conservative Catholics. Nobody has to share their social views. But they too deserve tolerance and respect – even from the SPD in the election campaign.

Liminski holds a political office. That justifies public interest and questions. But he also has the right to change. A former left-wing autonomous street fighter became a popular foreign minister in Germany (Joschka Fischer), a former member of a Maoist student group became EU Commission President (Jose Barroso).

The Laschet employee’s critics accuse him of pursuing a reactionary agenda in office. He himself could help to dispel suspicion with an explanation of his own development.