Quote Originally Posted by applejacks View Post
Morally, we all know it's wrong to lie, steal, cheat, murder. We all believe in justice. We all desire to extend compassion. These come from God in perfect balance.
Not all of us.


How about this explanation:

(First off: Let's assume human traits are (at least in part) hereditary. This is not such a strange thing to assume, as children do tend to resemble their parents not only physically, but also regarding their personalities.)

Over the course of history, people always had to rely on cooperation with fellow humans. Sometimes to a greater, sometimes to a lesser extent, but it was always necessary. However, some personality traits (for example lying, stealing, cheating, murdering) proved to be problematic in the community and people were aware of that. As a consequence, people who excessively made use of these destructive actions were shunned and had smaller chances to find a mate and have children. And even if they managed to reproduce, their children (if they resembled their parent regarding their personality) would have a difficult time as well to be included in the community, mate and reproduce.

However, if a person instinctively resented stealing and murdering, they would be regarded as a positive influence on the community. This would cause them to have less problems finding a mate and the support of the community. That means that their attitude towards destructive behaviors would, at some point, dominate over the more uncritical or indifferent opinions. And because many people share these sentiments, it appears as if god has ingrained these values in our minds. But in fact, our moralities would just be the result of trial & error over the course of millions of years.