Religion, spirituality, and interpersonal violence

Acknowledging violence as a priority health issue in South Africa and globally, this chapter demonstrates how religion and spirituality can enhance health and effectively contribute to addressing pervasive interpersonal violence. We share a narrative from South Africa from our collaboration as co-researchers in the multi-year SCRATCHMAPS project that highlights the potential positive impact of religion and spirituality in addressing widespread interpersonal violence. Our focus during the project centred on exploring the concepts of “spiritual capacity” and “religious health assets,” aiming to understand how these assets could be leveraged to tackle violence in marginalized communities facing enduring socio-economic and structural determinants that impact health, well-being, safety, and peace. Although these communities continue to be marginalized in academic and so-called “hard science” domains, the chapter illustrates the significance and positive impacts of religiosity, spirituality, wilderness rites of passage, and meditation and mindfulness interventions in improving health outcomes and reducing violence.