Photo: Ungaroo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons¹³

Michael Schmidt-Salomon

German author, philosopher, and PR manager

Michael Schmidt-Salomon (born 14 September 1967 in Trier) is a German author, philosopher, and public relations manager. As chairman of the Giordano Bruno Foundation, a humanist organization that is critical of religion, he has been identified as Germany's "Chief Atheist." His books include the Manifesto of Evolutionary Humanism: A Plea for a Contemporary Culture, and Die Kirche im Kopf (The Church in the Head).²

From Wikipedia’s article on Michael Schmidt-Salomon (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Sep 14, 1967.¹

About

His children's book Wo bitte geht's zu Gott?, fragte das kleine Ferkel ("Which is the way to God,

please?, little Piglet asked") caused controversy for its depiction of religion.

From Wikipedia’s article on Michael Schmidt-Salomon, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.²

Companies

Giordano Bruno FoundationChair 2004 to now¹²

Career

Occupation: journalist, writer, pedagogue, philosopher, university teacher, composer, musician, children's writer.⁵

Since 2004Chair, Giordano Bruno Foundation⁴
Date not recordedWorked at Trier University³

Known for: Leibniz war kein Butterkeks, Erkenntnis aus Engagement, Manifesto of Evolutionary Humanism, Stollbergs Inferno, Jenseits von Gut und Böse, Hoffnung Mensch: Eine bessere Welt ist möglich, Keine Macht den Doofen. Eine Streitschrift.⁶

Personal life

BornSep 14, 1967, Trier⁷
CitizenshipGermany⁸

Legal issues and controversies

Schmidt-Salomon's book Wo bitte geht's zu Gott?, fragte das kleine Ferkel, illustrated by Helge Nyncke, was published in the autumn of 2007. The book has been described as "Richard Dawkins's The God Delusion for children," due to its criticism of religion.

In December 2007, the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs raised objections to the book, deeming it inappropriate for children and youth due to its depiction of religion, and charging that the book had "anti-Semitic tendencies". The Ministry announced in January 2007 that it was considering a ban on selling the book to minors. The Central Council of Jews in Germany supported such a ban. One criticism of the book was that Jews were illustrated in a more negative light than Christians or Muslims. The illustrations were compared to "anti-Semitic caricatures from the Nazi era."

Peter Riedesser, director of the University Hospital for Child and Youth Psychiatry and Psychotherapy in the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, deemed the book suitable for children. Riedesser saw the book as emphasizing equality between believers and unbelievers, and he did not find it indoctrinating or demeaning of religion.