Study: Genes contribute to religious inclination

[truthpusher]

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7147

Genes contribute to religious inclination
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17:38 16 March 2005
NewScientist.com news service
Maggie McKee
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Genes may help determine how religious a person is, suggests a new study of US twins. And the effects of a religious upbringing may fade with time.

Until about 25 years ago, scientists assumed that religious behaviour was simply the product of a person's socialisation - or "nurture". But more recent studies, including those on adult twins who were raised apart, suggest genes contribute about 40% of the variability in a person's religiousness.

But it is not clear how that contribution changes with age. A few studies on children and teenagers - with biological or adoptive parents - show the children tend to mirror the religious beliefs and behaviours of the parents with whom they live. That suggests genes play a small role in religiousness at that age.

Now, researchers led by Laura Koenig, a psychology graduate student at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, US, have tried to tease apart how the effects of nature and nurture vary with time. Their study suggests that as adolescents grow into adults, genetic factors become more important in determining how religious a person is, while environmental factors wane.

complete story: http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7147

[htuttle]

1. It's almost like Lamarckian evolution is making a comeback

All these behaviors keep having genetic markers? They keep extrapolating from sociology to genetics. It all has a whiff of eugenics, if you ask me.

[onager]

2. Hmph. OK, thanks to my Southern Baptist & Methodist genes...

...for making me the blazin' atheist I am today.

Maybe they cancelled each other out?

[TroglodyteScholar]

16. Likewise: Southern Baptist+Methodist = "keep your God outta my face"

I don't have a problem with Christ. It's his fanclub that pisses me off so much.

[jrthin]

22. I love, love, your

response. Just to let you know, I will be using your line about "his fan club."

[booksenkatz]

3. This makes such sense for me!

Even from my earliest memory, like ages 3-4-5, I worked my *tail* off trying to embrace the doctrines and just couldn't do it. I started to give up as a teen, then I finally chunked it for good when I got to college. These days, I'm just sort of a very spiritual agnostic -- I wonder about "God" alot, I think there may be something out there, and if there is, then he/she doesn't care about us any more... making me sort of a Deist, I guess.

But some children always seemed to be into the dogma and doctrines from Day One. No matter how I tried to force it, it wouldn't work for me at marrow level, it felt almost biological, LOL. What an interesting article, thanks for sharing it.

[0007]

4. IMHO it has nothing to do with genes what-so-ever.

It is introspection, knowledge and the sum of your experience that determines the nature of your spirituality.

[booksenkatz]

6. But for the record...

At ages 3-4-5, I was surrounded by religious people, taken to church weekly, it was practiced in our home, etc. And I still wasn't buying it! I'm wondering what part of my experience at that young age prevented me from buying it...? That's why this article sure would explain a great deal for me, at least! I find it very interesting.
:)

[0007]

12. I believe you can figure it out for yourself!

[doc03]

25. Same here we had to attended church every Sunday

as a kid and either me or my 2 brothers have ever gone to church as adults. Another thing I wonder about how you have 2 otherwise intelligent people and one becomes a Democrat and the other a Republican. My theory is the Republican has some kind of genetic defect.

[Brooklyn Michael]

5. No kidding....

It's called the "gullible gene"

(apologies to our religious DUers....jes' teasin'):hi:

[MisterP]

7. hail determinism!

[GiovanniC]

8. If True...

Christianity says that those who do not believe won't get to heaven. These guys are saying that people are genetically predisposed to non-believers, theoretically meaning you don't have a heck of a lot of control over the matter.

Would God cast someone into a lake of fire for something they couldn't help?

[Maraya1969]

11. According to Calvin

You're destiny is pre-ordained. So God knows if you are going to Heaven of Hell before you are born. Maybe women who get abortions have psychic inklings and are trying to save their unborn from Hell.

Or maybe it's all a bunch of shit.

Actually I do believe that much more of our personalities are determined by genetics than we previously thought. Though I still think the mailman may be my father, I realize that even though the religious beliefs between me and my Presbyterian Minister brother are miles apart we may be more alike than I want to believe.

I am a very spiritual person. According to him; I am going to Hell and according to me; he's crazy. But I suppose we have some common tendencies in our desires to be connected with the God of our particular understanding.

[0007]

13. Ah, then it is all preordained and it was inevitable that I was

gonna be thrown into that lake of fire and burn forever..Goddamn you God!

[Straight Shooter]

15. IIRC, there is some scripture about God making imperfect vessels

In other words, it's a deliberate act, knowing full well that this or that particular soul will never turn to "God" or give "God" that unconditional, slavish love which he so deeply craves.

So, here we have a situation where supposedly God loves us all, each and every one of us, and yet God creates some of us with the foreknowledge that some of our souls will eventually land in eternal damnation territory, free will notwithstanding.

If God were a person walking the earth, he would be clearly demented in his reasoning. Personally, I think he's rather schizophrenic, or is at least portrayed as such if his recorded behavior is any guide to his character.

[MissMarple]

17. And having a religious "gene" doesn't guarantee a good person.

Perhaps other behaviors and traits could accompany this "gene", and may not produce a person worthy (at least in our estimation) of eternal glory... or whatever.

[heidler1]

18. You hit the nail on the head. It's like it was decided before you were

born whether you would get to go to Heaven or not. When I got tagged for doubting everything when I was about 5 the unfairness of the whole damn thing hit me and I never changed my mind. I've always wondered if God would take the whole issue into consideration on judgment day, but I never found anyone who understood my view point.

My Father was Catholic and my Mother was Methodest she insisted that all of their kids be raised Methodest.

The Jewish Religion has a way of dealing with this. If you have some duty to full fill and you don't get it done in one life time you can be sent back for a second try. This is left out of the Christian faith probably because of Hell being added. Changing the rules sucks.

[Maraya1969]

9. Just MORE PROOF

That I'm the mailman's kid!

[Name removed]

Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[unblock]

10. sounds like a repeat of a study from about 5 years ago, british i think?

they looked at twins separated at birth and found that marked "religiosity" of one twin was a very effective predictor of religiosity of the other twin.

it couldn't predict which religion the other twin would be, but the twins participated in religious events/rituals with very similar frequency, if one chose religion as a "calling", often the other did as well, etc.

of course, a statistically significant correlation doesn't mean anywhere near 100%.

i don't doubt that there's a genetic component to this, though of course, life experiences also matter, so one must be careful about going overboard in terms of drawing conclusions.

[unblock]

14. link to the old study, bouchard 1990, minnesota.

http://www.lrainc.com/swtaboo/taboos/tjbouc01.html

[PassingFair]

19. Wonder if it correlates to ....

IQ....

[heidler1]

20. That's what I suspect. That's also why the believers can't understand

the problem.

[unblock]

23. there is indeed a negative correlation

lower iq is correlated with greater religiosity.

again, gross generalizations, and note that such a statement is meaningless in the absence of the particular narrow definitions that the researchers used for such broad concepts as "iq" and "religiosity".

i'll dig up a link later if i get some more time.

[Nikia]

21. I don't know if it is genetic or not

But some people do seem to be more inclined to spirituality/religiousity while some seem more inclined to accept only the physical world. I don't know why that is, but there is a very real divide. You can see this in a atheist vs believer thread on DU. Many atheists, who are naturually so, don't understand how anyone can be religious or spiritual without being neurotic or a sheep. Many religious/spiritual people, who are naturually so, do not understand how atheists can so easily deny the spiritual world which they "feel". I don't think that everyone has such strong inclinations, but some people do. I am not sure how it works, but it is. Looking at genes is certainly one way to approach this problem.

[Lizzie Borden]

24. I really think this is mostly Bullshit.

[depakid]

26. Excessive religiousity IS connected with hardwiring

in the brain. Forms temporal lobe epilepsy(not the usual siezure type) for example are clearly associated with religiousity- and much of the bain's development is if fact genetic an/or susceptible to prenatal and neonatal exposure to prenatal and neonatal exposure to various sorts of chemicals.

So the results here aren't all that new or surprising- though it does make one wonder what sort of wierd stuff may be in the water in the South and Midwest....

[moobu2]

27. At least there's hope the condition can be cured through gene therapy n/t