Another Medium article that deserves more attention than it will get.

I attended an inter-faith seminar many years. An evangelical pastor summed up the importance of a moral code quite well: If everyone believed stealing was OK, then it would be hard to build any kind of functional society. A moral code helps us to come to some kind of agreement of what is right and wrong.

Whether we don't steal because our afterlife will be affected negatively or because we understand stealing is not conducive to an advancing civilization is probably a moot point as long as the people, generally, do not steal.

If we later develop a justice system that reduces stealing in our culture (now the reason for not stealing is not to go to jail), then we have made more progress.

Strange that we can claim that such a justice system has its roots in religion and in secular thought.