Here is the English abstract of Dr. Fahimeh Zare (Assistant Professor, Department of Social Studies, Woman and Family Research Institute, Qom, Iran)'s presentation at the 8^nd pre-con meeting of the conference “Imam Reza (PBUH) and Interreligious Dialogue" which was held in Woman and Family Research Institute Qom, Iran on  December 4, 2023.

Religious Concepts and Coherence of Family Life

In all three major Abrahamic religions, the institution of family is considered a sacred institution, and the marital bond is understood as a divine bond through which men and women commit to producing offspring and raising a generation of believers and virtuous people. Based on this understanding of marriage and family, these religions provide rules, regulations, and recommendations for the cohesion of family and preventing it from disintegration. In the current era, one of the most important social ills that all religions are concerned about is the phenomenon of increasing divorce. Some Western thinkers believe that one of the main explanations for this increase in the West is the reduction of the centrality of the family and the desacralization of it. Today, instead of staying married for the sake of their children or for the sake of family values, people are more in search of personal interests and pleasures and seek to take advantage of their opportunities. When social conditions become incompatible or in conflict with the value system, they create a crisis and confront society with problems and ills. The idea of this article is that by returning to the network of religious concepts in the field of family relations and reinterpreting them based on the requirements of living in the current society, it is possible to deal with the compatibility of the family, the regulation of relations between its members, and the solution of emerging challenges in the family. Using these concepts, some of the most important of which are common in different religions, we can help the family against the flood of changes - albeit on a small scale - and take steps towards its cohesion. Forgiveness, love, patience, and self-control are among the most important of these concepts that this writing deals with. The research method is descriptive-analytical, and data collection is through review, documentary, and library studies.

Translator: Mahdi Qasemi