"He's a miniature/Philosopher/He writes essays on Voltaire

But if he died no one would care."

I picked up a book in the UNLV library called "If God is Dead, Everything is Permitted?" The quotation comes from a semi-quoted statement in Dostoevsky's novel "The Brothers Karamazov", where the title character says that if God is dead, there is no virtue. A similar (but backwards) statement to the above is made by Lehi: "13 And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away. 14 And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God".

Many a philosopher or other has tried to state that morality is not dependent upon religion:

1. Those who say they live good, moral lives independent of religion fail to realize that though they may not believe in a Creator, they still espouse principles that are perfected in God: love, justice, mercy, forgiveness, patience.

2. And yet, I do believe that someone can have love, justice, mercy, etc., without a belief in God, but they certainly would have a greater understanding of why they should act this way if they had knowledge of and a conversion to God.

3. Though I think someone can have morality without religion, I believe that morality sinks lower and lower the further its proximity to true religion. Religion is needed for the instigation and steady perpetuation of morality.