Religion and National Security; Religion and Social Security: Institutional Relations for the Common Good of Nations

Dear Colleagues,

The place of religion in the structure of each country's national security system plays a significant role from the perspective of each citizen's religious affiliation. The presence of religion within a given country's operational space constitutes a fundamental reference point for declared values, which also form the basis for the axionormative functioning of national security. Therefore, the importance of "religion and national security" is a common link in the functioning of citizens within each state. There are well-known examples of legal regulations governing the relationship between religion and the state, based on the principles of union (concordat), separation, or cooperation, which constitute international agreements stemming from the long-standing diplomatic traditions of many states.

The importance of religion also plays a significant role in the context of "religion and social security," through the creation of centers for social security within a given state. This involves state institutions supporting specific social institutions run by social and charitable organizations of various religions with the common goal of safeguarding the dignity and common good of citizens.

This Special Issue aims to comparatively examine "Western" and "non-Western" concepts of religion and lifestyle based on the perspectives of the relationship between state and ecclesiastical institutions in the basic tasks towards citizens, which shape the level of national security with a detailed focus on social services.

Of particular interest to the Guest Editor are manuscripts that cover the following broad subtopics:

• Structures for building relations between the state and religion in building social security.
• Religion and social security within the framework of government projects that have a natural impact on national security.
• Support for educational and scientific processes by religions in building national security.
• Cultural activities supporting the building of identity and national security.
• Activities of religious institutions in the humanitarian dimension by organizing charitable aid, caring for those in need in their own country, as well as in countries where armed conflicts are being conducted.
• We expect that this Special Issue will have a broad and profound impact on the building of relations between religious institutions and decision-makers of individual countries, shaping relations for the sake of building social justice among citizens in accordance with the principles professed by individual religions.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200–300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editors, or to the Assistant Editor, Ms. Margaret Liu, (margaret.liu@mdpi.com) of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

A tentative timeline:

Deadline for abstract submission: 1 September 2026

Deadline for full manuscript submission: 1 February 2027

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Sławomir Bylina
Prof. Dr. Amantius Akimjak
Prof. Dr. Peter Majda
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• religion and national security
• religion and social security
• social assistance
• religious institutions
• social work
• education for safety
• safety culture
• humanitarian aid
• armed conflicts
• relations between the state and churches and religious associations