Do we have a GOD gene?

deleted in protest to really poor moderation

 

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I don't think so. It's possible though I guess, but then what about atheists? I can't defy my genetics to be taller, so I would think the same would be true for anything else.

 

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having the predisposition to be violent does not make you violent.

 

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/mai...14.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/11/14/ixnewstop.html

"'God gene' discovered by scientist behind gay DNA theory
By Elizabeth Day
(Filed: 14/11/2004)



Religious belief is determined by a person's genetic make-up according to a study by a leading scientist.

After comparing more than 2,000 DNA samples, an American molecular geneticist has concluded that a person's capacity to believe in God is linked to brain chemicals.

His findings were criticised last night by leading clerics, who challenge the existence of a "god gene" and say that the research undermines a fundamental tenet of faith - that spiritual enlightenment is achieved through divine transformation rather than the brain's electrical impulses.

Dr Dean Hamer, the director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute in America, asked volunteers 226 questions in order to determine how spiritually connected they felt to the universe. The higher their score, the greater a person's ability to believe in a greater spiritual force and, Dr Hamer found, the more likely they were to share the gene, VMAT2.

Studies on twins showed that those with this gene, a vesicular monoamine transporter that regulates the flow of mood-altering chemicals in the brain, were more likely to develop a spiritual belief.

Growing up in a religious environment was said to have little effect on belief. Dr Hamer, who in 1993 claimed to have identified a DNA sequence linked to male homosexuality, said the existence of the "god gene" explained why some people had more aptitude for spirituality than others.

"Buddha, Mohammed and Jesus all shared a series of mystical experiences or alterations in consciousness and thus probably carried the gene," he said. "This means that the tendency to be spiritual is part of genetic make-up. This is not a thing that is strictly handed down from parents to children. It could skip a generation - it's like intelligence."

 

Further more cocaine use may result in lack of functionality of this God gene and thus cause a loss of faith!

I wonder how many atheists had faith and lost it after using cocaine rather too much?

"Impairment and Dysfunction
Cocaine users display a marked reduction in VMAT2 immunoreactivity. Suffers of cocaine-induced mood disorders displayed a significant loss of VMAT2 immunoreactivity, this might reflect damage to striatal dopamine fibers. These neuronal changes could play a role in causing disordered mood and motivational processes in more severely addicted users."

 

What's the original article?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesicular_monoamine_transporter

"References
^ K.Y. Little et al. (2003). Am J Psychiatry 160, 47-55. Loss of Striatal Vesicular Monoamine Transporter Protein (VMAT2) in Human Cocaine Users
[edit]
Further reading
Kilbourne, M.R. (1997) In Vivo Radiotracers for Vesicular Neurotransmitter Transporters. Nuclear Medicine & Biology, Vol.24, pp.615-619.
Weihe, E. and Eiden, L.E. (2000) Chemical neuroanatomy of the vesicular amine transporter. FASEB J, Vol.14, pp.2435-2449. "

 

The god article.

 

http://rex.nci.nih.gov/RESEARCH/basic/biochem/hamer.htm

Not sure, but this is the dude who allegedly found the gene

this is his book

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385500580/103-3573025-0659857?v=glance&n=283155

 

He is definitely gay and a theist.

 

I wonder if he used cocaine also?

 

Anyone disagree re this God gene?

 

Why choose between athiest and thiest? What about those... like me... that are in the middle?

 

Yes. No causal relationship shown.

 

There is no "god gene". People are just naturally naive, especially when they are indoctrinated with a certain ideology (religion) since day 1.

 

Ok so if MVAT2 not God gene then what?

Perhaps the god gene is infact the parent /respect/obedience gene?

Based on the study, the Dr asked questions regarding faith and noted MVAT2 prevelance in theists, maybe he made the wrong diagnosis of the results.

Do theists display more love and respect and desire to obey their parents than atheists? Do they in general 'obide' more to authority and ritualistic behaviours? It is likely afterall that theists possess traits in common other than merely a belief in a deity.

Same for atheists

Are atheists not just oppose to idea of god but less resectful to parents and other authority figures? Or not less respectful just less likely to 'obide' by rules and dogma.

 

I haven't read the link but believe theres is a square hole in the brain that can only be filled with a religion peg as it were. This of course would imply it is a product of evolution and thus passed on genetically.
It's the only logical conclusion for reasons I cant be bothered to go im to.

 

Are you aware of the following:

Baby thinks it is omnipotent when born, finds out this is not so, considers parent omnipotent, finds out this is not so....scary prosepect huh! Defenceless in world where no one can guarrantee your safety! Desire for omnipotent presence there from birth is great, so when idea of God presented, it is welcomed. For some fortunate humans, it also becomes apparant that this a reality not just a fantasy, but this is not the case for all. Perhaps the presence/absence of MVAT2 is the reason for that difference in knowing God or just desiring God and giving up all together and becoming atheist.

 

A “GOD gene”?!!!!!!
Huh?!

Is this for real?

Does anyone formulate opinions and questions with some idea about what they are talking about and possessing definitions for the terms they use or are you all merely spewing out random thoughts with no cohesion and even less analysis?

Are the only one’s left here now teenagers or are you all just adolescent minds?

 

poll vote by Satyr = "I haven't read the links so have no opinion and should be castrated"

Indeed you should

However it is hard to castrate someone who has no balls