The most important reason anyone is an atheist

[Little Rik]

I have no reason to think consciousness does not require a functional brain. I know you speculate that they are independent of one another but I've heard no reason to think that myself.

They will be totally independent when the body die not when you are alive unless you reach some degree of consciousness in that case you can separate the two and you can even see inside the now super famous box that everybody is talking about.:
In order to reach some or high degree of consciousness you got to work hard within. The road to the destination is long and it takes time to reach.

Without a doubt. A young child's brain is not ready to handle certain concepts which it will be fully capable of handling a little later.

Wisdom, meaning, knowledge and the like apply to mental processes. But those mental processes take place within a brain It isn't an either/or situation.

Knowledge can come either from outside or from within but wisdom is something more subtle and usually come from within.
I said usually because in some case may come from outside as well by trying to imitate people with wisdom.
Real wisdom does not have to be dependent on a brain.......... which finds its bearings through perception and cognition concerning the physical world..............as it reflect pure consciousness which again does not necessary depend on the brain functions.