The predominant religion in Austria remains Catholicism. Luxurious churches, shrines, monasteries and cathedrals are found everywhere. For example, St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna can be called especially beautiful.
Moreover, Vienna has for centuries been the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. With the advent of Martin Luther, many people changed their minds. Most citizens became Protestants.
freedom of choice
According to Austrian law, namely the Law on the religious education of children, everyone is free to choose a religion. It means:
- Each citizen is allowed to believe in what he considers necessary.
- From the age of 14, any person can decide for himself which religion he wants to belong to.
- Everyone has the freedom not to belong to any religion.
- No one should be prosecuted or infringed on their decision on faith.
- Allowed to change their religion.
- Church and state are separate.
Religious education in schools is not limited to Catholic confession. Children from other churches and religious groups receive education in their own confession. Their teachers are paid by the state. Further more detailed information about religion and its role in Austria, as well as about major groups.
Catholicism
Despite the fact that Catholicism professes a large part of the population, the influence of the church in everyday life is reduced. People seek spiritual guidance in other faiths. Many give up religion when they reach maturity due to church tax. It is 1.1% of the total annual wage. Throughout the world, the church has been criticized for its conservative stance on topics such as emancipation or homosexuality, which increases the desire of young people to leave the group. However, religion in Austria still plays a large role.
Protestantism
In the Republic of Austria there are two forms of Protestantism. Lutherans follow the Augsburg Confession, and Reformers follow the Helvetian. In general, Protestants are 4% of the population. Moreover, the main part belongs to the Lutheran Church.
Islam
Austria was the first Western country to recognize Muslims as a religious community in 1912, as described in the Law on Recognition. Islamic culture has been deeply rooted in Vienna for centuries, first through the war with Turkey at the end of the 18th century, and then with Bosnia and Herzegovina.
To combat radical Islam, a bill was introduced prohibiting foreign sponsorship of mosques, paying salaries to imams, and regulating versions of the Koran. The Islamic Mosque was built in 1975 and is located in 21 districts in Vienna. It has a minaret 32 meters high.
Judaism
Before the Holocaust, an important and influential Jewish community lived here, which included Theodor Herzl, Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler, Arthur Schnitzler and Stefan Zweig. Many Jews left the country after its annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938. But over 65,000 were deported and killed. Today's Jewish group is represented by the Federation of Austrian Jewish Communities and the Austrian branch of the World Jewish Congress. Judaism currently has about 7,000 members in Vienna.
The vast majority of the current Jewish population are post-war immigrants, especially from Eastern Europe and Central Asia (including Bukhara Jews).
Buddhism
Buddhism was officially recognized by religion in 1983. As in most multicultural cities, there are various religious schools in the capital. Vienna is the center of the Buddhist community and has about 10,000 followers.
What religion prevails in Austria?
At the end of the 20th century, about 74% of the population were registered as Catholics, and about 5% considered themselves Protestants. In recent decades, Catholicism, the country's main religion, has gradually declined. In Austria, as of January 2011, the proportion of Catholics was already 64.1%, and Protestants - 3.8%.
Catholics are required to pay their church a mandatory membership fee (calculated on income - about 1%). This payment is called "Church contribution." In 2001, about 12% of the population said they had no religion.
Austria has approximately 340,000 registered members of various Muslim communities, mainly due to immigrants from Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo. About 180,000 people are members of the Eastern Orthodox churches (mainly Serbs), more than 20,000 are active Jehovah's Witnesses, and about 8,100 are Jews. Approximately 10% of residents consider themselves atheists.