rede wrote;
So, since many claim that ethics and morality depend on religion, they must surely see the UK as an exceptionally wicked society.

I think they do in fact use that argument as a reason for violent reaction. Fundamental Islamists use it regularly, and back it up by bombing trains. They regard modern societies as bad and immoral. Maybe they are, but does that entitle anyone to take the lives of dissenters? The same sort of fanatics kill staff in at Abortion Clinics in the US. They think view is right, yours is wrong so they kill you (and anyone else in the vicinity).

Relgion of a fanatical kind is anti-society, whereas the behavioural rules that underpin most religions are often benign, and do not, in fact, require irrational beliefs to be operational and beneficial--thus are quite good for society!l Most modern societies try to not have too much emphasis on religion as part of government, in fact even the US constitution does not mention god in its original draft. (And having written that I have lost my nerve! but I think that is correct.)

You really don't have to be religious to be good. You can even lead a moral life as a secular scientist.