Is consciousness reducible to brain-states or is it something else?

This article is about the arguments for atheism raised by Richard Dawkins in his book The God Delusion. The writer contends that Dawkins’ logic is faulty. I won’t attempt to regurgitate the arguments here. You are certainly capable of reading the article for yourselves. The writer does a much better job of it than I could anyway.

What it seems to boil down to is the core of the human condition. Our thoughts. Our knowledge. Our self-ness. Our consciousness.

What I’m wondering (apart from is there a God) is what is consciousness and what part does it play in belief systems?