Response: Religion as a Source of Ethics

In response to Kelsey Phifer's post "Religion and Moral Reasoning" (May 3, 2012):

I do think that religion, and particularly contemplation of a religious conception of guilt, can indeed lead people to adopt ethical ways of living.  However, I do not think that this is the only or even the best method of formulating a code of ethics.  The reliance of many religions on scripture can often lead to stagnation of the morals of religious followers - not a good thing, as I think that it is vital to continually question and re-evaluate moral codes in order to ensure that one has reached the correct moral conclusions.  If, however, some people find it nice, for some reason, to follow a religious code of morality, that is fine, provided that their code does not conflict in any major way with secular morality.