Letters
Religion as a social force in health
Religion and health: complexities and contradictions
BMJ 2023; 382 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.p2246 (Published 29 September 2023) Cite this as: BMJ 2023;382:p2246
- Nasim Mavaddat, senior research associate1,
- Nahal Mavaddat, associate professor, head of discipline of general practice2,
- Peymané Adab, professor of chronic disease epidemiology and public health3,
- Shirin Fozdar, GP partner4
- 1Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- 2School of Medicine, University of Western Australia, Australia
- 3Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- 4Ridgeway View Family Practice, Wroughton, UK
- nm274{at}cam.ac.uk
We agree with Idler and colleagues’ analysis on the influence of religion on health.1 We believe, however, that the role of religion is much more far-reaching. By virtue of its character building and unifying capacity, religion has the potential to transform people and societies. It empowers individuals to build communities and provides tools for creating just and equitable societies.2
The concept of …