Children brought up with religion are more likely to have better moral than those who are not.

I apologize for the error in the title, which should read "morals" and not "moral. " I look forward to debating with you! It is my argument that children who have been brought up with a religion are more likely to have better morals than children who are not brought up with a religion. I do not seek to argue in favour of or against any particular religion. Some religions suggest that eating certain foods is immoral or that drinking alcohol and dressing in a particular way is immoral etc. It would be easy to become embroiled in a religion specific debate however, for the purposes of this argument I seek to focus on acts considered universally immoral such as murder, idolatry and adultery. My arguments in support of this stance are twofold; 1) The unavoidable link between religion and morality. Religious individuals have a heightened sense of a greater purpose and a sense that someone is watching over them. Morality and religion are unavoidably intertwined. Religion lays down the foundations of morality by instructing us to behave in a certain way and to refrain from certain vices. For instance the 10 commandments in Christianity guide us to honour our parents and to not; steal, kill and commit adultery amongst other things. Atheists by contrast are driven by instinct alone which may be innately moral but equally may not. Religious individuals however, whether intrinsically moral or not are likely, by virtue of their religion, to be guided to take a moral path. Religious people have an additional incentive, as it were, to be have morally in order to please their God(s) or to be seen as a moral person and a representative of their religion. This incentive is one that atheists clearly lack. The Dalai Lama once stated that; "Every religion emphasizes human improvement, love, respect for others, sharing other people's suffering. On these lines every religion had more or less the same viewpoint and the same goal. " This is something that can be seen in all religious scriptures from the Bible, to the Torah and the Quran as well as all others. All religions teach of respect to others and borne from this appreciation is moral guidance not to kill, not to commit adultery, not to steal etc. All religions include a strong sense of what is and isn't right and link this to the shortcomings of others in religious stories and the strength and morality of God(s) to be followed. 2) Retribution. As has been indicated above, atheists rely solely on instinct and a vague sense of right and wrong as taught to them by friends, family etc. For atheists the only retribution to any immoral wrongdoing is that of being frowned upon or judged by others (in the case of adultery) f and at most, the threat of a punishment at law such as a fine or prison (theft, murder. ) Ofcourse, with retribution lying in the hands of humans through their judgment or through man-made law, it is clear that such a retribution cannot be guaranteed. A person who kills or steals may never be caught, may be caught and tried in a court of law and found not guilty or may be caught, tried, found guilty and then given a definite punishment that cannot possibly endure. Religion however, poses a more serious threat of retribution to those who believe. God is omniscient and so retribution for wrongdoings is inevitable and unavoidable unless one truly repents (a religious ideal and incentive). With this in mind, the possibility that one might go to hell on judgment day after death (Christianity, Islam etc) or that karma will ensure the immoral are punished (Buddhism) underlies religious teaching and acts as a further incentive to religious individuals to act in a moral way. For those who are not religious, there may be no repercussions to immoral behaviour.