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I base my morality on three things:
1. Is what I am doing (or about to do) necessary for me to reach my goal?
2. Do I have the means (financially, physically, etc.) to carry out my intentions?
3. Is there a high risk in being caught and punished for what I do? If the risk is great, does the reward outweigh it?
If you cannot answer 'yes' to all three questions, then chances are that you will not commit the crime/sin/whatever. This can apply to anything immoral/illegal from speeding to murder. Try it out the next time you hear about somebody being arrested for something. The first two questions are rather straightforward. The third question will come down to whether it was an act of civil disobedience out of protest, a feeling of invincibility in thinking that they sufficiently covered their own ass so they won't be caught or convicted in a court of law, or in extreme cases, a sociopath who is indifferent to the possiblity of being caught and to the punishment they may face, no matter how severe it is.
Placed in the context of religions, these three questions still apply, however in most cases, the third question will always be no because of their assumption that their actions are constantly monitored by God (or the cosmic forces that manipulate Karma) and the risk of a less than satisfactory afterlife (or simple poetic justice) will outweigh any desire that is fulfilled by committing a wrongful act.
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Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer.
-From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator
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