I read recently about “The God Gene”. The hypothesis being there is a genetic tendency toward religious belief. For those with this gene it is more likely they believe in god, participate in regular religious activities or are generally more likely to see themselves in a spiritual context. While not well or widely accepted the theory has plenty of support and I like it. I have attempted to find my spiritual center on a number of occasions and end up with a blank, the eternal void. The only times I've been close to organized religion it was through peer or family pressure and I never found the comfort or reassurance promised. I'm guessing that I'm genetically an atheist and will always have that wall between myself and an ability to commune with and trust in God.
I know it has been said that my odds will be better to believe. If it is true, somehow God will like me more and I'll better off in the afterlife with that extra chip in my pocket. I've never been a very good gambler, as most of my poker playing friends will attest, so I'm willing to wander toward those streets paved with gold without the benefit of a holy hall pass and hope my behaviors haven't been so evil that I can remain. Stuff like that just doesn't make sense to me. Nor does concept that there is either a kind and loving God or one bent on punishing our evil choices. And the large number of religions we have invented doesn't help me either. The simplist explaination very often is the best and most accurate. Let me go with brain chemistry being the source of most mystical experiences. The moral foundations are common sense that needed to be codified, first in an oral tradition and later written down. How it became organized and the basis for really odd choices that are contrary to what was written is beyond me.
Now this doesn't mean I can't be spiritual in some sense. I feel there is strength in community and am comforted by time spent with loved ones and out in nature. My atoms came from somewhere and after I die they will move on at a less organized and hectic pace. However, my consciousness or soul is destined to vanish. Oh well. Since I don't really know or understand what I'm missing it's not a great loss to me. As Tommy Johnson in "Oh Brother Where Art Thou" says when asked why he sold his soul to the devil, "I wasn't using it." Those who believe in an eternal soul, reincarnation, heaven or hell may just have to plan either to not see me at the bar or be ready to laugh at my folly. Hey! It ain't my fault.
Since this might be a genetic trait it would be interesting to find out where it is headed in an evolutionary sense. Is it something that is proving to be a benefit for survival or is it something that is being weeded out by natural selection. It's common in many Christian faiths to “grow and replenish” and they tend to have more children, an evolutionary benefit I would guess. However, there seems to be a reduction in the number of people attending church or claiming belief in God. The latter is based on short term data and may be temporary. Surely there are a lot of people who are not being subjected to Harris, Newsweek, CNN or Gallup polls. Like those folks living in China, India, Indonesia, Africa, South America and most of the Middle East. These are people who practice or don't practice many other faiths or belief systems, some of them with very large numbers of devout believers. I don't have data for those areas and would be reluctant to offer opinion on what is happening in this regard in those locations.
Regardless, there seems to be a very strong tendency for religious beliefs to spring up or survive under (or maybe because of) even the harshest conditions. During the official ban on religion during the life of the Soviet Union there were plenty of churches operating underground. China has never seen a lack of people who believe in something beyond the state. It also seems that just as I am on the unbelief side of the gene, there may be folks who are just as far on the other side, filling out the bell curve of belief. Is it something we can apply statistics to? For every fanatic believing in the glory of God and the words of God's prophet(s) is there a fanatic who rejects it all as foolishness? I don't have a clue. It could be that I'm here with just one more genetic trait that manifests itself as a cultural characteristic.
If this theory is true, will there be genetic therapy one of these days to correct the defect, one way or the other? What would happen if we flooded the air with nanobots capable of delivering a gene that would either add or remove this trait? Will we see compeating factions with labs manufacturing genetic floods that result in mass religious conversion or abandonment of faith beyond what we can see? Breakdown or salvation of society? Damn, that's another story and well beyond my ability to figure out. However for the right price I will offer the idea to someone who wants to write the novels as a counterpoint to the series of Rapture related books that seem to be doing pretty well these days.
On the other side of this argument is the lack of a genetic component to belief in God. If that's the case then why is it I haven't been able to make the connection? Logic? Lack of rigor in my search? Inability to recognize spirituality when it's right in front of my face? I had a chance and misinterpreted the experience? I'm correct in my disbelief? I'm open for suggestions. After all, I'm just barely past mid-life now and this sort of thing should be a bit more important as I approach the end of days. However, I've always been approaching the end of my days since the moment I made my entrance. Why worry now? I'm comfortable as a spiritual slacker and will most likely remain one for the foreseeable future. Anyway, when God wants my opinion she will give it to me. Until then my Sundays are free and morals unencumbered by anything other than love, respect and a little common sense.
