Religious Morality

This is a topic that seems to keep coming up, including in a comment to one of my previous posts. Brazen Hussey effectively asked the old question how can you be moral without god?

I have never quite understood this stand point, particularly when being spouted by people who have abrogated all responsibility for there actions to a being that cannot be questioned, either due to his ineffability (their argument) or lack of existence (mine).

How can you consider your self moral when you accept no responsibility for the decisions behind your actions? If it is claimed that god has said a particular action is good then does that make it so by definition? even if that action would be counter to common good and or against the golden rule?

Surely this is just a case of might makes right, in their world view, god is the most powerful being hence can dictate the rules, to go against these rules invites ultimate punishment and to pander to them ultimate reward, this does not speak of the morality of these edicts, simple the ability of the one making them to enforce his will. Further this does bring into question the motives of anyone doing 'good' because of pronouncements made on the behalf of such a being. If the only reason to do good is to either avoid punishment or gain reward then the choice is not moral but mercenary, not a question of ethics but expediency. How is being a good Samaritan to get into heaven any different from being paid by a dictator to uphold his laws? both are done on the basis of the results of your actions rather than whether the actions are them selves are justified.

I also find it interesting that most Christians, sorry to have to bang on about only one religion but it is the one I know the most about, seem to want to pick and chose the rules they follow. There are plenty of laws in the bible that Christians ignore and yet they still claim the ones they follow are divine. Either the whole book is godly or the whole book can be questioned, you don't get to pick and choose, if you do how do you decide which ones to follow and which ones to ignore? If some of these 'divine' laws can be ignored, what is the rational for doing so?

Suffice to say I do not need a god to be good, I have sympathy and empathy to allow me to understand the consequences of my actions, I have a good understanding of the common good to allow me to make decisions that are bigger than just myself and, most importantly, I accept responsibility for my actions rather than trying to hide behind the edicts of the biggest bully around.