[[“Animals can’t conceive of God.”
I don’t know what animals can conceive.
“Humans evolved to believe in God...”
How can you support this statement other than through circular reasoning?]]
Yes it is circular philosphical reasoning with absolutely no scientific evidence to support the hypothesis. Folks like Dawkins have snidely suggested that there are genes that are rersponsible for subjective morality, and therefore, some stupid folks like us, concieved of a god in our minds, and what’s worse, according to Dawkins, is that this ignorant gene can be transmitted to other people through things like sneezing (I kid you not- he literally suggested this could happen).
There is a huge debate going on about morality and whether or not it is an objective universal morality or simply a subjective morality that arose from genes and causes delusions. The debate is nasty and vitriolic I assure you.
There are numerous examples of animals engaging in altruistic behavior in order to support their immediate kin. African bee-eaters, if unable to find mates or if their clutches are destroyed, seek out relatives (in a specific order) and provide themselves as rearing partners for their relative’s offspring. The level of commitment to this behavior is directly proportional to the amount of genetic material they share with the relative. In other words, behavior developed to ensure the passing of one’s own genetic material can lead to cooperative behavior, which ultimately lays the foundation for moral and social codes in human society.