Most scientists, even Darwin, tread warily and avoid attacking religion, but Watson and Crick are both outspoken atheists.
"I went into science because of these religious reasons, there's no doubt about that. I asked myself what were the two things that appear inexplicable and are used to support religious beliefs: the difference between living and nonliving things, and the phenomenon of consciousness."
Francis Crick
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/scien...f-God.html
Is it possible to reason without consciousness?
Is critical thought possible without consciousness?
Crick understood the dilemma of consciousness within his intellectual system. Here is another quote from the atheist camp:
"Consciousness and free will seem to suffuse the neurobiological phenomena at every level. Thinkers seem condemned either to denying their existence or to wallowing in mysticism."
Dr. Steven Pinker
The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature, page 240.
An atheist affirming consciousness is a bit like a strident vegetarian trying to convince an audience that eating Prime Rib is permitted within vegetarianism.