hoggy

Conscience is just simply an extension of altruistic behaviour. Aa for your example of the police dog just doing as it is told i would argue that the dog is doing as it is 'trained' . If the dog is told to jump onto a raging fire im sure it would have the semblance of a conscience not to do it. We are simply more advanced rather than Gods chosen ones.....

I find that most religious people behave in a similar way. When their beliefs are challenged they cling more tightly to that belief like a tiny flea to the hair of a dog. It seems to me that some people simply need something to cling to whether that be a God, deity, life after death or spritualism and ghosts. All these things give comfort to them, sadly for them they, like us only have one life and are wasting a substantial amount of their lives living in fear of their 'god'.