Two years after the debate about a Muslim king of marksmen, the process of opening up the Federation of Historic German Shooting Brotherhoods is taking on more concrete form – with implications for the faith community.
A clear commitment to Christian traditions and a comprehensive willingness to work together with newcomers from other cultural backgrounds are the most important points of an orientation framework that has now been presented to the main board, the BHDS association announced in Leverkusen on Monday.
It was said that the parliament of marksmen should vote on a corresponding policy paper in the spring. A broad majority is considered safe.
Membership of non-Christians possible
Federal marksman Emil Vogt explained that local brotherhoods should be free to decide who can be admitted and thus who can become marksman king. According to the plan, non-Christians will also be able to become members in the future, as long as they profess to support the goals of the brotherhoods. Those who have left the church do not have to fear that they will have to leave the Catholic shooting community.
Sexual orientation irrelevant
On the question of homosexual shooting kings, Vogt said that a person's sexual orientation is part of his personality and identity and is irrelevant for acceptance into a brotherhood.
"Homosexual Schutzenbruder and Schutzenschwestern have therefore naturally all member rights and obligations including the possibility of the king dignity to win."An earlier resolution of the Schutzenparlament, which forbids homosexual Schutzenmajestaten the appearance with the life partner as king pair, is to be lifted. The decision has not been applied for some time.
Cologne cathedral dean Kleine is federal president of the shooting fraternities
Together with Vogt, the Cologne Cathedral Dean Robert Kleine, as Federal Praeses, had passed the 1.300 Schutzenbruderschaften written and asked for agreement to the orientation framework, as it was further said.
The marksmen's association, which has around 400.000 people, sees itself as a community of faith. With the policy paper, the association's leadership wants to make the "time-honored brotherhoods fit for the future". It is accepted that there may be differences in the speed of the anpang – between town and country, or between more liberal or more conservative rifle communities.
Muslim shooting king caused a stir
2014 the case of a Muslim Schutzenkonig in Werl had caused Germany-wide excitement, since the BHDS had not recognized it as Schutzenkonig and had forbidden it the participation in the district Schutzenfest. Later, the federal association did not raise any more objections, but continued to reject the exercise of kingship at the district level. Because of the debate the German Unesco commission had postponed the acknowledgment of the Schutzenwesen as immaterial cultural heritage.