Well like I said, I am an atheist. You can only get some much out of us on religion.
However to answer your questions, why do you need religion for any of that? Y'all act as if religion is the only means to morality when that is clearly no so.
If anything that my real gripe with this. I post a lot on this forum and naturally most everyone here is religious. I show respect but I have a hard time getting it. There are a few really good, rational discussions that keep me coming back but half the time people think I'm a damn socialist anyway.
(Trust me, I hate them more then anyone and I have more of a reason to do so)
BTW: I'm an objectivist, that's where I'm coming from.
1. Why do you use the personal terms "you"? As I stated, I'm not much of a church-goer.
2. Why do you assume that, if there are other paths to satisfy those needs, that our forebears should have followed them? (And doesn't it say something important that virtually every civilization and society followed the same basic path?)
I'm an objectivist
a la Ayn Rand? (I loved Atlas Shrugged). An interesting approach, but full of holes for me to call myself a "believer". ;^) It also still leaves open the question of "Who/what started all this gunk we call a universe?" I call that entity "God". (And of course, you can always counter with, "Who/what created God?", and the we go around once more, LOL.)