Religion and Morality

Susan Kneeman made the statement that religion doesn't need ethics and ethics doesn't need religion. This statement is false. Religion is a set of beliefs, including the supernatural, but also about how we are to live, or our social conduct. The definition of ethics is a "set of principles of right conduct" (Houghton Mifflin dictionary). This is at the foundation of religion, mostly due to a god saying what it correct to do and not to do. In whatever way it is told, the fact of the matter is that religion is built upon a belief, and coming from that belief is a set of principles of right conduct, or ethics.

Can ethics exist without religion? That would definitely be possible, but I doubt it. We cannot deny the impact that religion had on ethics. We could even argue the origin in ethics coming from religion and not evolution, or both if we consider religion as part of the evolutionary process. I think that it is possible to have ethics "without religion", but it would then be a religion on its own, would it not. The god being the ones who decide what is correct and what is not correct moral conduct. The definition of religion includes a "set of beliefs, values, and practices"(Houghton Mifflin dictionary). If I decide what are my beliefs, values, and practices, I am my spiritual adviser and the god of my religion, my-anity or me-ism (coined phrase of mine). Therefore, though we cannot yet say for certain that ethics can exists without religion, everything mentioned here leads me to believe that it is not plausible.