These participants ranked things -- friends, family, a hobby or a religious value -- that were important to them and wrote down a few sentences about why their top-ranked value was important (this is a standard self-affirmation exercise, Creswell says).

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Indeed, the new pontiff was known to be sceptical of the value of that inter-religious dialogue dear to the heart of his predecessor.

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After the war, the group transformed itself into a lay religious organisation, adopting the name Soka Gakkai (Value-Creation Society), and embracing the faith of the 700-year-old Nichiren Shoshu sect.

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"Money has a value way beyond the simple amount it is worth in exchange - it has an almost mythic or religious quality, " says Doty.

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