Morals have nothing to do with religion. People are taught right from wrong. It all depends on the individual. I've known preachers daughters that were anything but moral and atheists that were the opposite.
Im talking about a deeper question philosophically.
Not does religion give you morals.......
But does an absolute authority need to exist in order to make certain morals objective. As opposed to subjective.
Not gunna say which way I lean on that question until this evening.
Without question, the answer is a definite NO !!! ............... Morals are adopted in order to live in a civilized society, and to co-exit, period. The "authority" is an individual's understanding of the difference between right and wrong. Whether one believes in a higher authority or not, moral character comes from knowing the difference between right and wrong. The bottom line is obvious when considering both those with some belief in a higher authority, and those that don't believe in a higher authority. Look, there are people with moral character on both sides of the fence. That is an undeniable truism.
One could also say that "conscience" is the authority, but again, that only translates back to having a strong sense of right and wrong. Any way you slice the pie, it all goes back to individual practice of what each believes to be right and wrong. Morals should be defined as "what's right, and doing it". And, "what's right" can be defined as accepted behavior in order to co-exist in a civilized society. Remember, this would hold true regardless of a belief in a higher authority or not.
In the end, do we judge ourselves as to our moral character, and how we behave and co-exist in a civilized society? What behavior is there for us to compare ourselves to? Each of us know the answer to that question. In other words, what is considered to be acceptable conduct? Common sense tells us that rape, murder, stealing, molestation, cheating, assault, being dishonest, and taking unfair advantage of others, are all morally wrong. So, what do we do in order to co-exist and contribute to a civilized society in a positive manner? We conduct ourselves in a moral ( accepted moral ) manner.
I could on for hours on this subject, but you can get the jest of it from what I've already said. It's really a simple, cut-n-dry reasoning process.