No they aren't, but in a society like ours, religion plays a major role in defining the subject matter of our conscience. You may not be raising your son in a religious environment, but you are teaching him the lessons you leaned from that kind of upbringing. What will he teach his kids?
Religion is pervasive. And within its dogma there are useful lessons for teaching right from wrong. But the point I believe you are missing is that religion is entirely unnecessary for teaching right from wrong. Cub Scouts taught my son outdoorsmanship. Does this mean that if my son wasn't a scout that he couldn't learn how to safely widdle wood or pitch a tent? Could he no longer do his best and do his duty to his country and help other people?
Rather than telling my son things like, "Allah is watching you and you will be rewarded in the afterlife with virgins if you follow certain rules (or you will be sent to a place with fire to live with a guy with horns, red tights and bad acne if you don't)"---- I teach him
morals.
I teach him ethics. I teach him laws. I teach him the societal and interpersonal consequences that he shall face on plant Earth while he is here should he make bad choices. I teach him something that resembles the concept of Kharma but without the dogma. I teach him love and respect. I teach him to value life, family and friends. I teach him to work hard and have fun. I teach him that all men and women are created equal. I teach him how fortunate he is and that it is important to help those less fortunate. I teach him hygiene. I could go on and on.
Also, I'm curious, if you are now free to define your own moral code, where have you deviated from religious teachings with your son?
"Now free"? Shopper, humans have always been free to teach morals to their offspring and to avoid religion. The pervasiveness of organized religion in society has caused people to forget this. That is scary and weird to me.
Where have I deviated? There is no Book. But there are many books with valuable lessons. We tend to avoid fear and guilt (we substitute consequences for our choices and empathy) or the ludicrous ideas like we are all born as sinners. We avoid rituals like- no meat on Friday just because. Hypocrisy is a no no. We try not to judge. We engage in critical thinking and reward creativity along with sound logic and reason.
If he, say for example, told you in his twenties he was thinking of sleeping with a woman who was married, how would you react? (I'm just plucking that one out of the air.)
I would react the same way (I presume) a religious person would. I would tell him that it is clearly wrong and that he should consider the feelings of everyone involved and the consequences of his choices for himself and others.
I guess I'm curious if you would consider your moral code more lax than your parents or grandparents? If it is, do you think this has anything to do with you abandoning religious beliefs?
Why would I (or anyone) consider my moral code to be more or less lax than than that of a Catholic, Protestant, Baptist, Muslim, Buddhist, Scientologist or a bowling enthusiast? That is utter nonsense.
Are you putting me on?
