What makes an event "religious"?

Theists do genuinely seem to have difficulty coming to terms with the fact that religion can only have any meaning if they make it have meaning. In and of itself religion is nothing. This is demonstrated quite nicely in a recent blog post on the Religious News Service. A line towards the end of Cathy Grossman's "Better than church? Religions’ social events have higher purpose" is great at indicating just how willfully ignorant and/or self-deluded she and so many other theists tend to be.

"There’s also a twist to the popularity of religious events: People with no religious ties like them, too."

Grossman fails to notice that not one of the types of events discussed prior to this statement requires any religious elements whatsoever. In other words, the "events" that are so popular are secular in nature. Every type of event noted already is enjoyed by the non-religious without any religious trappings. That non-religious don't care about those details nearly as much our theistic fellows is not news. This is the same type of mentality that leads theists to be surprised when they discover their friendly neighbor atheist actually likes Christmas carols. It is silly. Unfortunately, it tends to indicate a greater level of misunderstanding.

Does religion make us moral?

The question pops up far more often then it ought to. Recently, the somewhat science challenged Science on Religion blog devoted a post to the question. The answer is both simple and more complex than most people seem to realize. The simple answer is NO. Religion, in and of itself, does not make people moral. That is not to say that religion does not indirectly contribute to the development of morals. It contributes in the same way it contributes to an individual's happiness (another foolish supposition that gets tirelessly repeated). It is a side-effect of religion that allows for morals (and happiness) to develop. That side-effect would be more accurately labeled "social interaction."

Humans are social animals. We need interaction with one another. Virtually every study that has been conducted on religion's impact on society has discovered the same thing. Social interaction within a church is the greatest factor. The level and quality of interaction within a specific religious group says far more than the the doctrines, rites and rituals, or structure in terms of whether the individuals find their "faith" valuable. There are also ample reasons to believe that it is this interaction that informs individual morality within religious groups and even correlates with levels of contentment and happiness.

Religion does not make people moral. Social awareness and interaction helps guide individual morals.