Correspondence
Absolute versus Relative Values
Abstract
To the Editor:
The relationships of religious values to health continue to receive much attention. 1 Data indicate that such values affect diverse areas, including frequency of psychiatric disorders, incidence of cardiovascular disease, recovery from surgery, and treatment compliance. One classification of religious values is a relative versus absolute dichotomy. Relative systems, such as postmodernism, propose ethical values that may change and depend primarily on individualistic considerations, such as power or practicality. Absolute value systems, such as Orthodox Judaism and Christianity, however, ascribe to an unchanging source of truth and ethical values that does not change as a function of particular people or situations.
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