The only thing that was reliably and powerfully associated with the moral benefits of religion was how enmeshed people were in relationships with their co-religionists. It’s the friendships and group activities, carried out within a moral matrix that emphasizes selflessness. That’s what brings out the best in people.

You don’t have to be religious to know that murder, cruelty, theft and violent crime are wrong.

“Is moral thinking any different from other kinds of thinking?”