Do we need God to be good?

Do we need God to be good?  It is an old question, but with the rise of the New Atheism and fresh research, it has been given some revitalization.  Does morality arise out of religion only (e.g. a divine command)?  Are both religion and morality the by-products of evolution, and therefore we can reject religion but keep morality?  Do humans and animals share traits thought to be exclusive to humans, including morality?  For the interested, see the related discussions and videos: ”So you think humans are unique” at NewScientist.com, or Does Religion Make You Nice?: Does Atheism make you mean? at Slate.com, or the videos, Amazing Apes: Self-Awareness and Bonnie, the whistling orangutan video.    

Along similar lines of discussion—and given this background–I was intrigued this morning by this very open article at TimesOnline (HT: Pew Forum): “As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God.”   

“It would suit me to believe that their honesty, diligence and optimism in their work was unconnected with personal faith. Their work was secular, but surely affected by what they were. What they were was, in turn, influenced by a conception of man’s place in the Universe that Christianity had taught…” continue reading at TimesOnline.co.uk.