With the multitude of religions that have been prevalent throughout history and the ones that are still in play today, many people relate morals to religious beliefs. With an ever-increasing reliance on technology and science, there has been a decrease in those actively participating in a given religion. Being that morals and religion have seemed so closely entwined, the question that comes from this is whether there is a way to be good without God.

On one side, there is the argument that religion teaches the morals that relate back to being a good person. In many religions, this relates back to the religious book that they use to spread their teachings. The book generally has a set of rules to follow that generally lead along the path to being the best person that you can be. \Rules like, "honor thy mother and father" or "You must not commit adultery" are some of the most easily recognized. These seem like pretty standardized rules.

With religion also comes what most would title, "learning respect". While in the place of worship, people are generally polite and respectful. They listen and they learn without interrupting. They understand that the Pastor, Imam, or Rabbi are all in leadership positions and respect his presence. Children also learn patience through their time in at their place of worship.

On the other side, there is the argument that even without religion that morals can be learned to become a good person. There doesn't necessarily have to be a religious belief system to stop a person from committing adultery. Knowing that adultery is wrong, is part of being able to tell the difference between right from wrong.

Being able to distinguish that difference is part of having morals. Personal beliefs on what it means to be a good person, outside of religion, can also influence the ways that a person acts. Outside of religion, people can also learn respect.

Through parents, teachers and employers alike, people learn to treat others with the proper levels of respect. Parents, teachers, and bosses all provide an example of how to interact with others. Through everyday interaction children can learn the same lessons that they would in a religious environment. Patience is also learned outside of religion through parental guidance.

Overall, in my own personal opinion, I do think that a person can be good without God.

You can still volunteer to help others, take time out of your day to spend time with people you care about and provide a good example to younger generations.

You don't need to prescribe to a certain set of religious beliefs to believe that others deserve to be treated with respect.

You also don't need to be a part of a religious group to learn patience and to follow your own moral code.