Science, Religion, and Health—Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Human Flourishing

Dear Colleagues,

Health and well-being have always been central to human life, yet their meaning and practice vary significantly across cultures, traditions, and disciplines. While modern science and medicine have greatly advanced our ability to diagnose and treat disease, religious and spiritual traditions continue to offer rich resources for understanding suffering, healing, and flourishing. Both science and religion address fundamental questions about what it means to live well, to care for others, and to face illness and mortality. At times these approaches have seemed to stand in tension, but in many contexts they have complemented and enriched one another. In an era where health is increasingly seen as not only physical but also mental, social, and spiritual, exploring this relationship is more important than ever.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue of Religions on “Science, Religion, and Health—Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Human Flourishing.”

Aim and Scope
This Special Issue aims to bring together interdisciplinary perspectives on how science and religion engage with health and well-being in their broadest sense. In line with the scope of Religions, we are particularly interested in how religious traditions—Eastern and Western, ancient and contemporary—interact with scientific and medical understandings of health. We welcome contributions that reflect on the conceptual foundations of health, examine concrete practices of care, and highlight points of convergence or divergence between religious and scientific approaches. By fostering dialogue across disciplines such as philosophy, theology, ethics, medicine, cultural studies, and other fields, this Special Issue seeks to enrich our understanding of health as a deeply human, social, and spiritual concern.

Suggested Themes
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome, and research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• Religious and cultural conceptions of health and well-being;
• Historical encounters between religion and medicine;
• Rituals, healing practices, and spiritual care;
• Religion, ethics, and public health;
• Integrative and holistic approaches to care;
• Comparative perspectives: Eastern and Western traditions;
• Philosophical and theological reflections on suffering and flourishing;
• Religion, resilience, and mental health;
• The role of spirituality in medical practice and patient experience.

Expected Impact
We hope that this Special Issue will stimulate new interdisciplinary research on the intersections of science, religion, and health, broadening the conversation beyond narrow disciplinary boundaries. By highlighting diverse approaches and lived practices, this Special Issue seeks to deepen understanding of health as more than a biological condition—framing it as a profoundly human experience shaped by cultural, spiritual, and scientific insights. The ultimate aim is to promote holistic perspectives that contribute to human flourishing and compassionate care in a pluralistic world.

Dr. Jiwon Shim
Prof. Dr. Piotr Roszak
Dr. Saša Horvat
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.

• health
• well-being
• religion
• science
• medicine
• philosophy
• ethics
• spirituality
• human flourishing
• holistic care