Unter Heiden

At first disbelieving and then in awe, one follows this modern confession of faith. Tobias Haberl speaks so candidly about his doubts and his journey to God that one looks at heaven quite differently afterward.

I am Catholic. In my childhood, that was a given. Today, I have to justify it, and sometimes I feel like an animal being stared at in a zoo: How can one believe in God in the 21st century? And how can one still be part of the church – after everything that has come to light? It is indeed the case that I am surrounded in my neighborhood, my industry, and my job by people who, when it comes to faith, often only think of abuse and cover-ups.

Unfortunately, many of them have no idea what it means to be a Christian. They criticize something they have never experienced and forget what truly matters: the support, the comfort, the hope. Faith is more than buzzwords, more than a church with which I also struggle, and more than a break from the stressful everyday life. Believers do not seek satisfaction but redemption, not least from a world that seems to be falling apart, torn between fears of the future and technological visions.

There is constant demand for the church to change in order to catch up with the 21st century. I turn the question around: What can the 21st century actually learn from believers? Which seemingly outdated rituals can late modern society use to free itself from its breathlessness? Because one thing is obvious: the person who has turned away from God does not find what they are looking for. The great freedom does not materialize. Instead: new constraints, new fears, distraction instead of comfort, because Google can answer every question.