German Christian reluctant to talk about faith

That is shown by new studies on Christian freedom of expression. The research is conducted by International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF), the Observatory of Religious Freedom in Latin America (OLIRE) and the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Againts Christians in Europe (OIDAC Europe).

Religious persecution is not always imprisonment or a lawsuit, Janet Epp Buckingham says to Die Tagespost. She is one of the study's authors. According to Buckingham, persecution in secular states is comparable to "death by a thousand cuts." She points out that Christians are under increasing pressure from numerous tiny factors that lead to their reluctance to talk about their beliefs.

This self-censorship occurs mainly at universities, a German study by sociologist Friederike Boellman shows. That is not legally enforced but about a cultural attitude, Boellman points out. "Every person I interviewed noticed a change in the conversational atmosphere or a narrowing of opinions."

According to British researcher Simon Calvert, Christians question whether a Christian view on same-sex marriage or gender identity is still allowed or if that is forbidden by law. According to him, Christians are unsure about which topics they are allowed to question publicly.