Saša Romanić’s scientific contributions

Human perception of nature and God have always been inextricably linked. In order to understand nature and its inherent processes, including various natural hazards, the reasons for their origin were often attributed to God's will, suffering for sin and the similar. Fear of material and human losses prompted a man to pray and offer sacrifices/gifts and other rituals to appease the "wrath of the gods". The progress of civilization and technology has not alleviated the destruction and trauma that natural disasters inflict on all aspects of social life. A major obstacle to this is the exponential population growth in vulnerable areas. The frequency of natural disasters and the fatalistic attitudes that limit the effective fight against them have motivated religious communities and individuals to cooperate with international and international organizations and institutions to reduce the risk of local disasters. Believers thus receive the necessary psychological and financial assistance and support from religious communities during all phases of disaster management. Therefore, the subject of this paper is a comprehensive examination relationship between the degree of religiosity of the population and how this connection impacts the policy of reducing disaster risk. The aim of the research is to scientifically describe the nature of the relationship between the degree of religiosity of citizens and different segments of disaster risk reduction. Conclusion: The discourse on the constructive as well as the harmful influence of religious beliefs is equally represented in the literature. Despite differing views on the nature of that influence, all agree that religious beliefs govern interpretations of natural hazards in many cultures and societies. During and after natural disasters, people need psychological support and comfort provided by religious institutions. Religious attributes can encourage a positive psychological response and, thus, improve the resilience of an entire society to natural disasters. When facing a disaster, people can seek spiritual support from God, and at the same time rely on resources and support in the social community to which they belong and participate in various group therapies for healing and alleviating the psychological consequences. Therefore, religious institutions contribute especially in the recovery phase, by providing appropriate material and psychological support to the population in the affected areas. The content of the message that religious authorities send to the public in such conditions can be of critical importance, and disaster risk communication must integrate contemporary knowledge about the relationship between religion and risk reduction. Fatalistic beliefs are a special challenge for solving and reducing which it is necessary to engage and unite the efforts of the government, educational institutions, media, and religious leaders. This requires effective cooperation, communication, and coordination at all levels. Although the potential of religious institutions in various stages of disaster management is evident, their role is still largely overshadowed in the literature and in practice. In addition to the capacity and state of the competent services, the prevention and mitigation of the consequences of disasters largely depend on the perception of the community. Human consciousness, therefore, emerges as a valuable resource in management efforts, particularly in the process of planning and designing programs, strategies, and response plans. It is shaped both by individual factors, such as age, gender, education, disaster experience, marital status, risk perception, and income, and by social factors, such as religious identity. Along with the rejection of ideological understandings about the nature of disasters as the work of God comes a change in the perception of control and responsibility. The then helplessness in the face of an insurmountable fate is replaced by the awareness of the possibility of controlling the consequences, that is, mitigating and minimizing the damage when a natural disaster occurs. In this way, a necessary precondition was created to improve the preparedness of the population, and then the response and recovery from the disaster. This study opens up new research questions, including examining the various religious factors and dimensions that influence risk perception, preparedness, response, and recovery after a natural disaster. The implications of the research are critical for decision-makers in the Republic of Serbia, who are facing increasing demands to respect people’s attitudes and beliefs that influence their behavior in disaster conditions. In combination with other mechanisms, they can be used to create appropriate strategies at the national level and programs adapted to different categories of the population. In future research, it would be important to investigate the coping strategies in response to disasters and traumatic events used by non-religious individuals versus those used by religious ones. The limitations of the research are reflected in the fact that a larger territorial area and a larger number of inhabitants of the Republic of Serbia were not covered.

Human perception of nature and God have always been inextricably linked. In order to understand nature and its inherent processes, including various natural hazards, the reasons for their origin were often attributed to God's will, suffering for sin and the similar. Fear of material and human losses prompted a man to pray and offer sacrifices/gifts and other rituals to appease the "wrath of the gods". The progress of civilization and technology has not alleviated the destruction and trauma that natural disasters inflict on all aspects of social life. A major obstacle to this is the exponential population growth in vulnerable areas. The frequency of natural disasters and the fa-talistic attitudes that limit the effective fight against them have motivated religious communities and individuals to cooperate with international and international organizations and institutions to reduce the risk of local disasters. Believers thus receive the necessary psychological and financial assistance and support from religious communities during all phases of disaster management. Therefore, the subject of this paper is a comprehensive examination relationship between the degree of religiosity of the population and how this connection impacts the policy of reducing disaster risk. The aim of the research is to scientifically describe the nature of the relationship between the degree of religiosity of citizens and different segments of disaster risk reduction.