They have since changed their name, but the term “Christian Democrats” was once used to describe one of the major political parities in Germany.
I’ve looked over their web site, but can’t find anything that explains why they included the term “Christian” in their original name.
Any idea?
Back before the Nazis took power in Germany, there were a number of political parties, among them, the “Catholic Center Party”, which was, as the name suggests, a predominately Catholic center-right political party. One Center politician in pre-Nazi Germany was a man named Konrad Adenaur, who was mayor of Cologne, and also a member of a provicial legislature from 1917 to 1932, when the Nazis made other parties illegal. After the war, Adenaur founded the Christian Democratic Union, which combined the old Center Party, along with a number of smaller center-right and right wing parties. As far as I know, it’s still called the Christian Democratic Union. You can find their website (in German) here:
So, to answer your question, they have the name “Christian” in them, because their core was a former Catholic political party.
Christian values were repressed in the Third Reich. The party was formed after the war to be a center-right alliance of Protestants and Catholics who hoped to restore traditional Chriatian values to the country.
The party was called the Christian Democratic Union, with an allied party in the Bavarian state called the Christian Social Union.
I think the word “Christian,” when used in an organization’s name, has a different meaning and intent in Europe than in the United States.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m under the impression that:
“Christian” in Germany’s “Christian Democratic Union” refers to the core beliefs of mainstream Christianity (Catholicism, Lutheranism, Calvinism, etc.); not so much the belief in Jesus, but rather the application of his philosophy and teachings, especially those regarding compassion and social equity.
In the United States, the term “Christian” in organization names has been co-opted by fundamentalist and Baptist groups, and others primarily from the “religious right.” It doesn’t necessarily include Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, and other center to left denominations, nor does is include Catholics (“Mary-worshipping pagans!”) or Mormons (“Polygamists with strange underwear!”)
For instance, a radio station that promotes itself as “Christian” usually caters to a born-again and fundamentalist audience, with open condemnation of left-wing politics, You won’t hear the Sunday sermon at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, but you might hear bad pop music, an hour-long panel show featuring the condemnation of homosexuality, or a hearty endorsement of George W. Bush or the Second Amendment (right to bear arms) from the pulpit of New Vision MegaChurch (“conveniently located at the Jefferson Davis Boulevard exit of I-10, next to Bass Pro Outlet and the new WalMart SuperCenter, praise Gawd!”).
The Christian Democrat movement is not limited to Germany. There are dozens of parties worldwide.
Here is the international movement’s manifesto.
Here is a list of member parties.
Fifteen years ago the Christian Democrats were a significant party in Panama, and Ricardo Arias Calderon, the head of the party, served as vice-president under President Endara. Today they are pretty marginal.
When I hear of the Christian Democrats-I tend to think of Latin America.
Please remember that, prior to Vatican II (1963-65), Catholics considered themselves to be the only “true” Christians.
See the Catholic Encyclopedia entries for “Christian”, 'Heretic", and “Schismists” (sp)
I suspect this is a remnant of “Christian=Catholic” thinking.
If I recall correctly, the Christian Democratic political movement originated in Europe in the 1920s. For much of the 19th Century, and well into the 20th, liberalism and democracy had been seen as essential secular movements, especially in predominantly Catholic countries, and Christians had been suspicious of them, or had tended to avoid them. As liberalism and democracy became dominant in Europe, Christians and Catholics especially tended to distance themselves somewhat from political involvement and public life.
Christian democracy started as a radical reappraisal of that attitude, and sought to explore how Christians could involve themselves in public life, and express Christian values through political engagement, in a way not inconsistent with the principles of liberalism and democracy.
It remained, I think, a fairly philosophical movement with limited political effect until after the Second World War. There was then a widespread feeling that pre-war political and public movements founded on traditional liberal and democratic principles had proved unable to deal effectively with the rise of fascism in Italy or Naziism in Germany; many of them had been positively co-operative. People were looking for a political philosophy which was firmly democratic but at the same time was founded on values which were absolutely inconsistent with fascism (or communism), even if these movements gained power through democratic means. Christian democracy seemed attractive from this point of view.
Although it originated among Catholic thinkers, it was never a denominational or confessional movement. It seeks to promote values which emerge from Christian thinking, but anyone who adheres to those values is welcome to participate in the movement, whether or not he is a Christian, and it seeks popular support for its values not on the grounds that they are Christian but on the grounds that they will serve society well.
In Europe the movement is, unsurprisingly, strongest in those countries which have emerged from fascism. It has never really taken root in the Anglo-Saxon world; centre-right parties in Anglo-Saxon countries may affiliate to the Christian Democratic International, but it is not a particularly important affiliation for them. In some countries the name has been hijacked by fringe parties who are mainly concerned with advocating very conservative policies on sexual morality, but have little interest in broader social or economic issues. They are often explicitly concerned to promote Christianity as such, in a way that mainstream Christian Democracy is not. These parties tend not to be affiliated with the Christian Democratic International, or to buy into the core Christian Democratic values of freedom, responsibility, equality, justice, solidarity and subsidiarity.