Mrr, I think Stringsinger gave a pretty good answer. Things are "good" or "evil" for us, according to how they are helpful or harmful to our vision for the way things should be. And I think most of us share a common vision for most things. That's how we have survived as a species.

My vision may conflict with your vision in some ways, and that's where we may have problems - but for most people, the (unamplified) Ten Commandments (without the God stuff) and Golden Rule work pretty well. They're basically common sense. Don't kill, don't steal, don't lie, don't cheat on your spouse (or somebody else's), honor your parents, and treat people like you'd like to be treated - can anybody seriously disagree with these? I suppose Cause No Harm might be another way to say it.

For most people, it doesn't make a big difference whether they live by an enumerated moral code, or by broader moral principles. One way or another, consciously or not, we choose the way we live according to our vision.

Mrr, I know you have some trouble with the God stuff, but I just can't see how it's harmful. We ALL have beliefs that may or may not be true. Like it or not, not one of us is fully "enlightened." And whether there is a God or not, I can't believe we will be punished for what we do or do not believe. It's who we are and how we treat others that makes the difference. When you place so much importance on WHAT people believe, you're talking like the fundamentalists, insisting that we must have proper ideology in order to be "saved." That's nonsense.

-Joe-