Reasons Other than God to be Moral

The Catholic Encyclopedia defines morality as “human conduct in so far as it is freely subordinated to the ideal of what is right and fitting.” On the other hand, one definition that Encarta Encyclopedia gives for morality is “good or right, when judged by the standards of the average person or society at large.” There are many different definitions of morality but most people would agree that morality is doing the ‘right thing’ for others …

…and comfort; we would rather not deal with conflict and problems so we set up a system of right and wrong. Moral codes were formed on the desire to set up a structure for the society where these conflicts could be resolved, not on religious beliefs. In our society today, we need this set of moral codes to have a successful society, which gives us a reason, apart from God, why we should be moral.