Religion vs. morality

Today, a potpourri of my thoughts...

Two great articles on the front page of the Danville (KY) Advocate-Messenger this morning:

(1) Ex-felon sues governor to get voting rights back.  Kentucky is one of only two or three states that denies felons the right to vote after they have paid their dues to society.  Why continue to punish them for life?  They have paid their debt to society -- they should get their civil rights back.

(2) Restricting or ending cash bail.  Cash bail specifically harms those who have little ability to pay (mostly black and minority) it because they can't come up with the money, so they stay in jail, lose jobs, lose property, can't pay child support, and if they are not guilty, their lives are ruined.  The wealthy can simply go to the bank and get thousands to pay cash bail.  And by the way, most of those who are hurt by cash bail are minorities.  This is NOT "liberty and justice for all" which SHOULD be our objective.

Maine state highway flaggers, who dropped out of high school, and worked for the state for 20 years get 100% of single payer health care paid for.  I, as a 39 year teacher with the equivalent of six years of college, get 45%.  This needs to be changed.

Religion v. Morality: 
I'm seeing so many posts regarding religion and morality lately.  My thoughts?  Morality precedes religion  We KNOW in our hearts and minds what is moral.  Religion attempts to codify that.

In my opinion, humans had an inbred sense of morality long before religion entered the picture.  We KNEW the difference between right and wrong before we were forced to believe one thing or another.  That is why even those who do not believe in ANY "gods" can still be moral beings.  "God" was created by people, not the other way around.  And from that point on any religious discussion of "God" became a discussion of "my" God vs. "your" god.  So many people who claim to be "Christian" are so far from the basic tenets of Christianity, that they can no longer legitimately claim to be Christian.

It saddens me that many of my "Christian" friends seem to think that they are the only ones who understand "God's" message.  They are so ready to condemn those who differ with them to Hell, or at least Facebook purgatory.

I am totally against abortion except in the cases where the mother's lives are in danger.  But so many are concerned with the unborn fetus, but unconcerned with that fetus once it is born, that it makes their "pro-life" stances simply a political opinion.