I suppose my last post came over as meaning altruism leads to religion... In that altruism can mean caring for the plight of others, leading to "saving them from themselves" leading to "alpha male" without killing others to keep the title, then yes, I have a personal opinion that if any species developed awareness and sufficient communication, the sense of caring for / interfering with others could lead to something suspiciously like religion.

It is, however, just my lay opinion. I have no religious leanings, no superstition angle to my character and am wary of anybody wishing to inflict their take on life on others.

Ed's rather naive post above sets that very scene. I get rather angry, or at least as angry as a rational person can get on something as irrelevant as internet debate, when I see people go from expressing a view (fair comment) to saying people are wrong to do x (sod all to do with them what others do.) Confronting bigotry doesn't always look pretty, but any other approach gives their denouncement of others an air of respectability and that would never do....