RELIGION

‘you know — i have no religion.’  ‘how come?  how can you live that way?  how can you be a moral person who knows right from wrong?’  ‘well i dont know.  its just like — some people who live in cities or villages dont need a car.  right?  they find other ways to get around.  well i dont — i dont need a religion.  i find other ways to know right from wrong.  i think inherently i understand reciprocity, so religion has no special utility for me.  i think everyone inherently understands reciprocity — even other animals — and that it is a mistake to believe you have learned that from your religious instruction.  more, you need to put it into practice and in that the entire ethos of your society can aid or hinder you.  but religion is only a subset of that constellation of influences and often it is pulling the wrong way — pulling against your common better nature.’