Setting the Stage

This chapter presents a detailed rationale for why this volume is needed. The discussion is divided into five sections: (1) a critical overview of the religion-and-health literature is provided; (2) some preliminary observations are made on the state of current theoretical frameworks and conceptual models in the field; (3) a new conceptual model is introduced—this model is based on the premise that religion is, in essence, a social phenomenon that serves as a key conduit for the transmission of core religious virtues; (4) a new model-building strategy is illustrated by showing how submodels (i.e., brief supplementary models) can be used to expand the conceptual scope of the core model; and (5) an overview is provided of the chapters that follow.