La théorie systémique dans la sociologie de la religion dans les pays de langue allemande

Abstract

Within the last decade, Niklas Luhman, one of the best known German Sociologists, has developed a concept of systems theory which is closely related to problems of religion. It is one of the core concepts of recent German sociology of religion. Luhmann follows Parsons' and Bellah's views of societal and religious evolution, but he does it with a Durk heimian bias and in a specific German manner. Luhmann believes in the end of civil religion. In his theory religion enables man to cope with general contingencies of society and personality by ciphering them. Implementing this function Christian theology has to deal more with relevation than with humanism, and more with interpreting than with changing society.