Being an athiest I have grown up as a good kid and a successful person so far. Church and God have never been a decisive weight in my life or decisions. I made the majority of them myself, thinking of myself and the results of that action. Even people brought up by the church have turned out as bad and immoral people, but who are we to judge that. Personally I set my own guidelines for the future and have a great life ahead of me, but I am not religious.
Morals are in a persons mind.
People are taught to go to church at a young age so that is where morals start, but I was never taught to go to church or of a higher god. People are all the same but some have a better sense of reality than others. Thse are the ones with the stronger morals in my mind. Morals are an essential part of religion and therefore go hand in hand. That someone could then say it is ok to kill other people or break the law.