Religion and Wellbeing in Asia in Times of Crisis

Regular session

While the study of well-being has advanced for the past two decades, it does not necessarily mean our well-being has been improved. In fact, we are faced with increasing challenges brought by rapid deterioration in the external environment, including environmental degradation, global outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine, just to name a few. In this uncertain time, there is an urgent need for scholars to further the studies of well-being, and one important perspective suggested by scholars is religion. The impact of religion on wellbeing has at least been threefold: first, religion enhances subjective wellbeing through providing various spiritual and coping resources; second, religion promotes social well-being by offering a sense of community; third, religious leaders speak out publicly about political and social issues and advocate changes for the betterment of society. Nowadays, as we are faced with new challenges that threatens our wellbeing, can religion provide resources for us to deal with these challenges? How religious beliefs/teachings, communities, and leaders may impact the wellbeing of individuals and our society? This panel invites papers which provide case studies on the role of religion on wellbeing in Asian societies which include but not limited to the above three perspectives.