Religion as a private matter is dangerous
And at a time when there are actually almost no taboos left in the media and intimate matters are reported on shamelessly, the commonly held understanding - that religion is a private matter - does seem rather out of kilter. Does personal religious faith have to be completely private, or would it be better if we talked about it much more? AUTHOR Marc Jost TRANSLATOR Nicky Seadon What do income, faith and weight have in common? Correct, they are all regarded as taboo or the private matter of the Swiss. And we don’t ask about them. But at least the first two of these key words are always of incredible interest to the media whenever it smacks of a highly explosive situation, unrest or scandal. I am rarely asked about my income, but horrifically high managers’ salaries are of interest and are – rightly – criticised. How heavy I am is of no interest to anyone but my doctor and my wife. I am scarcely ever addressed about my faith in a personal conversation; however, when the media repo