I was just rereading a thread I had started last fall about morality and religion I had started last fall and stumbled upon this link you had provided. It answers my queries rather nicely I think. Thank you for being thoughtful enough to provide it then. I am sorry that I am just now getting around to reading it.
I would like further discussion to begin here without rehashing the previous thread.
Here is the summary. and conclusion.
"But science's contribution to a moral society, if any, remains a question mark.
Other primates have of course none of these problems, but even they strive for a certain kind of society. For example, female chimpanzees have been seen to drag reluctant males towards each other to make up after a fight, removing weapons from their hands, and high-ranking males regularly act as impartial arbiters to settle disputes in the community. I take these hints of community concern as yet another sign that the building blocks of morality are older than humanity, and that we do not need God to explain how we got where we are today. On the other hand, what would happen if we were able to excise religion from society? I doubt that science and the naturalistic worldview could fill the void and become an inspiration for the good. Any framework we develop to advocate a certain moral outlook is bound to produce its own list of principles, its own prophets, and attract its own devoted followers, so that it will soon look like any old religion."