It seems that people feel that they need the Creator for pedagogical reasons, like Santa Claus or the Boogey Man. But do reasonable, rational people really need a celestial dictator to tell them right from wrong?
Metaphysical and supernatural are not too far away from one another. Consider the interconvertibility of matter and energy just for starters.
“The way I see it, why does one need to appeal to the supernatural when there are real world metaphysical reasons for acting in a moral way?”
What are the “real world metaphysical reasons for acting in a moral way”?
I agree. It is simply knowing what the right course is to live in a community. I don't want you to steal from me so I won't steal from you. I don't need to be threatened with eternal pain.
It's interesting how often they revert to this rationale that God is a useful argument and therefore we should either believe or pretend to. But for me, social pressures and the judicial system are enough to keep me in line.
Not to mention that believing in God doesn't necessarily stop people from committing crimes. I haven't heard any studies that found more atheists among the prison population, for instance, than one would expect.