THE GOD GENE: How Faith Is Hard-Wired Into Our Genes

[Harlan James]

International Herald Tribune (11/8/04)

Why, the geneticist-author of this provocative book asks, is spirituality such a powerful and universal force? Why do so many people believe in things they cannot see, smell, taste, hear or touch?

Dean Hamer, a molecular geneticist, argues persuasively that genes predispose humans to believe that "spirituality is one of our basic human inheritances," and that, indeed, there is a specific individual gene associated with faith. "I propose," he writes, "that spirituality has a biological mechanism akin to birdsong, albiet a far more complex and nuanced one."

Genes, Hamer adds, do not tell the whole story. Humans' genetic predisposition for spiritual belief is expressed in response to personal experience and the cultural environment, and it is shaped by them. But the genes, he says, "act by influencing the brain's capability for various types and forms of consciousness, which become the basis for spiritual experiences."

http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/11/07/features/bookmon.html

[sui generis]

1. bullshit utter bullshit

The guy is socio-anthropomorphizing. It should be how "irrationality" is hardwired into our genes.

Blind faith is just one tiny aspect of irrationality. I'm sure if you remove the social definition of "god" and "faith" you would find that those individuals have other deeply irrational thought processes.

I do believe that many thinking people can take "faith" as a non-literal exercise, but for those who qualify for Hamer's reductionism, it's about more than a "god gene".

[bush_is_wacko]

2. Not hardwired, part of the great forgetting

Have you ever read "Ismael," "The Story of B, "My Ishmael?" I highly recommend them. Especially now.

[mhr]

3. Some Of Us Must Be Immune Then - No Faith Tendency Here!

eom

[ladjf]

4. It would be convenient and powerful if it were proved that

people are genetically predisposed to religious fanaticism. However,
my best guess is that their cognitive dysfunction was brought on by experiences within their environment. Or, it could be a combination of the two.

[kimchi]

5. "Various types and forms of consciousness"

I believe he is talking about transcendent experiences, also known as "tripping". Some people trip on peyote and other drugs; some get that freaky feeling by meditating or chakra work. I believe the writer picked a poor name for this hypothesis. Just because our brains are structured to have these experiences doesn't necessarily mean they come from "God". IMHO, it just means we CAN have these experiences. Culture (or belief) mandates how you see these experiences (i.e.: whether or not they have anything to do with "God").