Religion and Public Health Threats in the 21st Century

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444). This special issue belongs to the section "Religions and Health/Psychology/Social Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2022) | Viewed by 20478

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Sociology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294-1152, USA
Interests: sociology at intersection of religion and health; religion/spirituality and HIV; spirituality in medicine; congregational health programming; faith community–academic health partnerships

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The focus of this issue is on the role of religion in addressing public health threats plaguing societies in the 21st century. Past books or edited volumes provide overviews of religion as a social determinant of public health; scientific evidence of the religion–health link; spirituality’s role in medicine; and religion connections with specific health areas (e.g., mental health, adolescent health). This volume will emphasize religion connections to key public health challenges in the last two decades, including but not limited to the current COVID-19 crisis.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified nine public health outbreaks and threats, including: addictions (especially the opioid crisis), infectious diseases (HIV, measles), immunization/vaccination gaps, and pregnancy-related deaths among racial/ethnic minorities. Other countries or regions may have similar or other public health challenges. In the 2010s, the world also faced the Ebola outbreak, and other disease outbreaks were being forecasted. Religion has known relevance in addictions, infectious diseases, reproductive health, and other areas, and it has now been shown to play a significant role in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, though scientific evidence in this area is still limited.

This Special Issue will include theoretical and empirical scholarly work examining the relevance of religion in major public health challenges facing countries around the world. Although the current-day contexts (e.g., COVID-19) are especially important to understand, a trajectory of work since the turn of the century will allow constructing a more complete picture of the contemporary (recent and current) and future directions of science on religion and public health. The purpose of this volume is not only to tighten the knowledge base but also to have this knowledge guide social interventions. Thus, each paper will consider the social implications of work being presented.

This volume aims to include original papers from a variety of sociocultural and religious contexts, theoretical perspectives, and methodological approaches (quantitative, qualitative, mixed-method, community-engaged research, intervention trials, etc.). By including a broad range of perspectives (disciplinary and cross-cutting), and focusing on key ongoing and current public health issues, this volume will be a useful and needed contribution to religion and religion–health studies, public health, and other disciplines working at the intersection of religion and health (sociology, psychology, health policy, health care, etc.).

We welcome preliminary submissions of proposals for articles (up to 300 words) and will provide feedback and suggestions. You can reach the guest editor at [email protected].

Dr. Magdalena Szaflarski
Guest Editor

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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.

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Keywords

  • religion
  • religions
  • religiosity
  • spirituality
  • religion/spirituality
  • faith
  • religious organizations
  • organized religion
  • faith-based organizations
  • faith communities
  • faith traditions
  • denominations
  • congregations
  • health
  • public health
  • health care
  • medicine
  • epidemics
  • pandemics
  • COVID-19
  • HIV
  • mental health
  • addictions
  • reproductive health
  • health policy

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 353 KiB  
Article
Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Abortion, Catholicism, the Populist Right and Public Health Threats in Poland
by Andrzej Kulczycki
Religions 2023, 14(10), 1271; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14101271 - 8 Oct 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3021
Abstract
This article analyzes how and why a near-total abortion ban was recently secured by a populist ruling party with support from Catholic Church leaders and lay groups following earlier passage of one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe. The paper further [...] Read more.
This article analyzes how and why a near-total abortion ban was recently secured by a populist ruling party with support from Catholic Church leaders and lay groups following earlier passage of one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe. The paper further examines the public health threats posed by these measures, which have long been under-researched. These policy shifts are situated within the deeply embedded context of Poland’s abortion conflict and a setting that has long been challenging for reproductive health. The 1993 ban led to the resurgence of clandestine abortions, a near-total privatization of abortion services, and more women seeking abortion services overseas. In late 2020, the exemption for severe fetal anomalies that made up 97% of all legal abortion cases in prior years was eliminated. Neither ban has significantly reduced the number of women obtaining abortions, nor have they increased birth rates as anticipated by proponents who championed traditional family values that they equated with Catholicism and Polish national identity. The new blanket ban on abortion constitutes a health risk and a punitive measure achieved via a judgement of the Constitutional Tribunal stacked with loyalists by the ruling party. It did not reflect popular will, although societal attitudes on abortion are markedly less permissive than in much of Europe. Although the populist and religious right have realized their long-held goal of further restricting, if not eliminating, women’s access to abortion services, compelling criticisms have been raised about how this move compromises women’s health and autonomy. Ironically, the realization of this goal, which many Poles view as unduly extreme, may also undermine long-term support for both the political right and the Church. The wisdom of their move was widely questioned, sparked the largest protests since the end of Communist rule, and drew international criticism. It proved a polarizing action that alienated many young adults and may have accentuated a secularizing shift. Women and their partners are finding new ways to navigate many public health threats by increasingly traveling beyond Poland for safe abortion care and resorting to newly available medication abortion methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion and Public Health Threats in the 21st Century)
19 pages, 3870 KiB  
Article
From Selfcare to Taking Care of Our Common Home: Spirituality as an Integral and Transformative Healthy Lifestyle
by Alex Villas Boas, Mary Rute Gomes Esperandio, Sílvia Caldeira and Fabiano Incerti
Religions 2023, 14(9), 1168; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14091168 - 13 Sep 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1628
Abstract
One of the great threats to health in the 21st century is the relationship between health and environmental issues, as there is an inevitable relationship between the planet’s degradation and health problems. In this sense, health is also seen as a problem of [...] Read more.
One of the great threats to health in the 21st century is the relationship between health and environmental issues, as there is an inevitable relationship between the planet’s degradation and health problems. In this sense, health is also seen as a problem of public order, and more precisely of political order, to the extent that such an environmental issue implies public health as a social value that affects the spaces of political decision making; moreover, to the extent that the environmental issue also intersects with the religious issue, namely with the 2030 Agenda in the 21st century. This article intends to think about how such a confluence occurs regarding religion, public health, and the environment, considering how spiritual care provided in the healthcare domain is related to care in the common home (Cf. CITER, Project «Common home and new ways of living interculturally: Public theology and ecology of culture in pandemic times»). In particular, this article intends to analyse such issues in Brazilian and Portuguese contexts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion and Public Health Threats in the 21st Century)
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14 pages, 264 KiB  
Article
Clergy Perceptions of Mental Illness and Confronting Stigma in Congregations
by Anthony David Campbell
Religions 2021, 12(12), 1110; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12121110 - 17 Dec 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 6421
Abstract
Mental illness and stigma are key concerns in congregations and represent important threats to community health. Clergies are considered influential in how congregants think about and respond to mental health issues, especially in African American congregations. In-depth interviews with 32 African American and [...] Read more.
Mental illness and stigma are key concerns in congregations and represent important threats to community health. Clergies are considered influential in how congregants think about and respond to mental health issues, especially in African American congregations. In-depth interviews with 32 African American and White clergies were conducted to understand their unique perspectives on mental health and how they interact with their congregations based on those perspectives. Findings include six themes related to mental health stigma, namely, holistic definitions of health; African Americans and different conceptions of mental health (only reported by African American clergies); code words and language; depression as a special case; perceptions of mental health counseling and treatment; and clergy strategies for addressing mental health stigma. The clergies in this study recognized their influence on ideas related to mental health in their congregations, and most expressed active efforts toward discussing mental health and reducing stigma. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion and Public Health Threats in the 21st Century)
18 pages, 314 KiB  
Article
Global Contexts: How Countries Shape the COVID-19 Experience of Amish and Mennonite Missionaries Abroad
by Katie E. Corcoran, Rachel E. Stein, Corey J. Colyer, Annette M. Mackay and Sara K. Guthrie
Religions 2021, 12(10), 790; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12100790 - 22 Sep 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2747
Abstract
Across the globe, governments restricted social life to slow the spread of COVID-19. Several conservative Protestant sects resisted these policies in the United States. We do not yet know if theology shaped the resistance or if it was more a product of a [...] Read more.
Across the globe, governments restricted social life to slow the spread of COVID-19. Several conservative Protestant sects resisted these policies in the United States. We do not yet know if theology shaped the resistance or if it was more a product of a polarized national political context. We argue that the country context likely shapes how conservative Protestants’ moral worldview affects their perceptions of the pandemic and government restrictions. Countries implementing more regulations, those with limited access to healthcare, food, and other essential services, and those with past histories of epidemics may all shape residents’ perceptions. Drawing on the case of American Amish and Mennonite missionaries stationed abroad, we content-analyzed accounts of the pandemic from an international Amish and Mennonite correspondence newspaper. We found that the missionaries’ perceptions of the pandemic and governmental restrictions differ from those of their U.S. counterparts, which suggests that context likely shapes how religious moral worldviews express themselves concerning public health interventions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion and Public Health Threats in the 21st Century)
19 pages, 317 KiB  
Article
“I Discovered I Love to Pray Alone Too”: Pluralist Muslim Women’s Approaches to Practicing Islam during and after Ramadan 2020
by Anna Piela and Joanna Krotofil
Religions 2021, 12(9), 784; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12090784 - 17 Sep 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3945
Abstract
Public health guidelines implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic have changed the way many people practice religion. In the realm of Islam, practices from the margins—attending online mosques and prayer groups, or praying alone—suddenly became commonplace. This paper addresses the question: What religious processes [...] Read more.
Public health guidelines implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic have changed the way many people practice religion. In the realm of Islam, practices from the margins—attending online mosques and prayer groups, or praying alone—suddenly became commonplace. This paper addresses the question: What religious processes have become more evident among pluralist Muslim women during the pandemic? Based on 34 open-ended online surveys completed by pluralist Muslim women living chiefly in the USA and the UK, our analysis evidences the existence of four narratives that reflect fluctuations in the intensity and type of religious practice. The first and most prominent narrative in our dataset conveys enthusiastic embrace of social-distanced practices; the second describes a profound sense of aberration impossible to overcome in spiritual ways. The third highlights that for some Muslims, the pandemic brought no changes, as they continued to be isolated from their communities. The fourth is focused on an affirmation of a “remote” sociality experienced online. While some respondents acknowledge the increased individuation in their religious practice, they also find fulfilment in collective, if transformed, sociality. The changes in social interaction have led to a re-evaluation of salient aspects of their religious identity or, alternatively, highlighted longstanding modalities of exclusion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion and Public Health Threats in the 21st Century)
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