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Why people have morals in spite of religion, not because of it
Religious people often attack atheists as people who have no foundation for morality. For them, morality is a gift from God and obedience to His will is the essence of morality. Without God, everything is permitted.
I hold the exact opposite position. Let me explain.
Human beings, all human beings, have a great deal in common. Both the most angelic and the most evil humans are born, experience life, and die. We enter the world with nothing and exit the same way. We see and sometimes experience joy, fear, hatred, love and a zillion other emotions and experiences.
We make judgements and take actions. I don’t know whether or not we have free will, but for purposes of discussing morality, I will assume we do. (Without free will, morality is a moot topic.) We judge the actions of ourselves and others.
In any case, those who see themselves as moral because they “obey God” are merely obedient, not moral. They do good (if what they do IS good) because they believe they know what God wants and they are serving Him. They may be doing good to earn His favor and perhaps earn a place in Heaven. This is a questionable kind of morality. It is, in fact, simply self-interest.
