an internal moral compass
Jim Downey over at UTI found some unexpected secularism online, and quoted a commenter from elsewhere. These two sentences are the heart of the quote, each of which would make a great Demotivators-style poster:
Is it more righteous to live a moral life because you're a coward and fear Hell, or to live a righteous life because you feel it is the right thing to do? Pharisees need an external moral compass because they lack an internal moral compass.
Multicultural morality, as I mentioned in this post, can give an atheist's conscience a more solid foundation than that of a fundie bible-thumper. It does takes more effort, though, as does everything that isn't packaged and pre-assembled. Evaluating the sum of human wisdom is a work beyond any single lifetime, because learning is more time-intensive than mindless regurgitation.