I liked Blissfully Ignorant's contribution. He/she is right. Morality and Religion are not the same. Although most religions that I know do preach a moral code.

As a frequent visitor to Japan, I admire the their basic honesty and respect for people and for property on a scale that no longer obtains in the West. And yet the majority of Japanese will profess to no religion. Like the rest of us of course the suffer from the our common flawed humanity. But the message I get from them is that to be moral, you do not have to be religious.

Thanks to all for the debate and for teasing out such a delicate and essential subject.