I'm glad she brought up the question, does one have to be religious in order to be moral? And I have to say that one does NOT have to be religious in order to have morals. I consider myself an atheist but just because I don't believe in some high authority does NOT mean that I do not have morals. And I also agree it's more society-influenced. It's more about what we were taught in school, what community we lived in, how we were raised, and other factors. Those factors influence us into what kind of person we become and how we treat others reflects that.

I come from a religious background also, and I know that my morals came directly from growing up in church and surrounded by a religious family. However, I have friends that have morals from a seperate background. I realize that there will be religious diversity within my classroom, and with previous preperation, I feel that that I am prepared to accept their morals and personal religions.