John_Mann,
I'm not sure if lacking moral sense is the same as lacking consciousness or vice versa.
As far as I can see Adam & Eve were conscious but they were lacking moral sense - the ability to distinguish right from wrong.
It doesn't seem to me that their consciousness had anything to do with their lack of moral sense.
What God needed to give Adam & Eve was moral sense not consciousness as the Genesis account shows that were conscious:
According to Genesis 2:4-3:24:
Adam:
- was able to take care of the Garden of Eden
- was able to name the animals
- was able to recognize that the animals did not make a suitable mate for him
- was able to identify/recognize Eve as a suitable mate compared to the animals
Eve:
- was able to carry on a conversation with a talking snake (BTW, If a snake started chatting with you, wouldn’t that raise an eyebrow or two? Somehow, “Eve” jumped right into a casual conversation with a snake, as if it were an every day thing)
- was able to recall and repeat to the talking snake, God's instructions regarding eating from the various trees in the Garden
- saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom
Adam & Eve:
- Genesis 3:8 suggests that both Adam & Eve were able to carry on conversations with God before the Fall.
Adam & Eve's situation was comparable to a child who, though conscious, commits a crime but cannot be held criminally responsible because the child lacks moral sense at that age. Courts around the world show mercy to accused children - they cannot be prosecuted if they are under the age of criminal responsibility:
When it came to moral sense, Adam & Eve were like an infant whose parent puts a plate of cookies in front of the infant and tells the infant not to eat any, with the parent being fully aware of what the infant will do.