Thank you for this article and the reflection on Christianity and what is left, once a faith is gone. I have the impression that people often poor out the bay with the bath.
I would say most people DO have strong ethic beliefs depending on the values the Christian doctrines handed over to us. Not only the Western virtues but also the Eastern ones. But they dumped everything in this regard because they miss strong role models in acting out the ethics.

People do underestimate this fact on a grand scale. We all need something to rely on. And this "something" ARE ethics. When I ask someone if he wants to be betrayed, murdered, being talked bad behind his back, everyone can agree that this is not correct ethical behavior. Nevertheless, this counts for others and should be lived out often it doesn't count for the self.

I think one reason is that the individual thinks of himself to have no power or effect in the world. Which is totally wrong. Every single action in the daily life is a chance in checking if I do live up to those well-known ethics.

From my point of view, hopelessness (suffering) leads to extremes. Either one becomes a radical Christian or a radical cynic. Or less extreme a secular being relying only on the sciences (which do not offer anything spiritual on an official level) or on solidarity, which is good but not enough.

Buddhism is so far the best offer. There is no creator of the world and it offers deep and sensible approaches to the philosophical and psychological themes in which one can explore.

I could say a lot more but leave it here.

I am happy to have found you. Thank you!