Some people need an external reason to behave well. I don't think religion inspires people to do good for the sake of good, because I'm not certain they understand the concept.
One of the very negative effects of religion is that it comes with a built in thought system and a built in morality and philosophy. You don't have to think about it, you don't have to learn anything, you just have to obey the edicts. And while they might tell you "love thy neighbor" they can't really say why or what that means beyond that god tells them to. And without a firm justification for why something is good or bad it becomes hard to make ethical decisions.
One of the very negative effects of religion is that it comes with a built in thought system and a built in morality and philosophy. You don't have to think about it, you don't have to learn anything, you just have to obey the edicts. And while they might tell you "love thy neighbor" they can't really say why or what that means beyond that god tells them to. And without a firm justification for why something is good or bad it becomes hard to make ethical decisions.
