Do we really need religion to guide morality?

This isn't personal, this is just you needing to understand what you're saying. your morals are not formed by your actions. Actions form from your moral compass. They may lead to a change in morals over time, but they are not the primary stem of your moral foundation. You need to separate what leads to morals and what are the results of morals in order to understand this.

I assure you, this is not a personal attack, I just want to explain when you're wrong and why so you can learn, after all, what are you on the 'student' room for if you do not want to learn at all.

You aren't debating, you are constructing a house of cards and I am knocking it over. You have not even tried to explain why the old religious moralities have been abandoned by supposedly religious people in this supposedly highly religious western democracy we live in. The obvious answer is that the people are not religious.

So you know everything, huh? I'm wrong and you are always right, so I should learn from you. Of course.

How aren't these causes, wanting to do what's best for the world?

No, I don't know everything. You should listen to my argument because it is valid and supported by evidence. I will now explain why what you described is a result of your morals rather than a cause.

Morals are principles that are concerned with right and wrong behaviour. Your behaviour is a result of these principles. So, you ‘wanting to do what’s best for the world’ is a result of these principles, a result of these morals. What causes these principles (I.e what constructs them) is not our actions (generally); it extends much further and deeper than this. It is the values that our parents have instilled in us from birth and the principles that society around you promotes. You grow up surrounding yourself with these guiding principles that are naturally adopted. These then become our morals, and as a result, people like yourself want to ‘do what’s best for the world’. That feeling and perhaps action is a result of your moral compass, that was evolved from the previously mentioned influences such as society. Religious teachings, school, peers and evolution all have a role in the development of morals, but your current actions do not. They are a result of your morals. Let me know if this doesn’t make sense and I can try to explain it further.

Ok, I might have explained it poorly (English is not my native language), but my morals definitely don't come from God. I'm an atheist, so if my morals come from Him, why would I be moral? He isn't very moral himself, from what I know...

That's okay, don't worry. I'm an atheist too, and I don't believe I am influenced on a daily basis by god, but society as a whole is often influenced by religion, and its teaching from way back has undeniably left us with some of the general principles which came from it.

Yeah but I'm pretty sure there was no need of religion for the same morals to form. ( How do you call the pre historical people? I can't remember the word) they helped each other and had some morals (for their intelligence at least). Animals too. I had two mother cats, and one of them died, but she had a baby, and the other cat adopted and took care of the orphan kitten, like it was her own. How could she feel sympathy? Why did she care about the orphan? I'm pretty sure she didn't believe in Jesus XD.

Islam is by far and away the greatest societal code of conduct there has ever been. For far too long westerners have been drowning in the darkness of the hegemony of man made law and the only way to break through to find the light is through Divine Law.

You're right, perhaps there was no need for it, but whether we like it or not, it did happen. People have been influenced over time by religion. I think we should probably not go down the line of cats, their motherly instincts are a rather separate issue ahahah

:/

Not sure about that

Op asked if there was a need, not if it happened. So...

I refer you to my original answer on page 1 in response to that.... and on that note, I'm off to bed after this long but finally at least a little bit productive discussion

Religion has tranformed very cold people to very nice people so I mean it’s not completely useless. Prisoners who committed very dark crimes like murder became muslim within prison and it was because they believe it gives them peace which it did.

Really good point

No it's not! I'm having a really hard time believing that you are an atheist...

*suspicious face*

Really good point

It’s pretty lame that people are suspicious of you not being an athiest for simply saying the t r u t h about the positive influence of religion.