Religion and Ethics

My understanding of modern religion is a following or belief that assists in the continuation of  your life. A common example is Christianity, or the belief of a heaven, hell, and a returning of Jesus Christ. These common themes help sustain what morals some people question in day-to-day life. It may motivate believers to perform moral acts that they usually wouldn't in the absence of eternal life. This can be beneficial of course, but there are harmful sides to religion. To keep this blog post on track, we won't cover that side of religion just yet. 

A part of me longs for such a motivation, such as eternal life. I can't personally believe in such antics (with respect where due), so I've paid closer attention to the study of ethics and philosophy than I feel most would. Without the promise of eternal life by following a guideline in a book, I've been left to search for what is morally right. 

I wouldn't say I'm completely without religion. I have a general belief that there is something more, and I have a suspicions as to the "origin story" as you'd call it, but my beliefs don't have any strict morals. 

Feedback: Do you have a specific ethical belief? How do you think ethics and religion interact?