Posted on 12/13/2004 10:00:21 AM PST by Matchett-PI
TALKING: Author and behavioral geneticist Dean Hamer talks at his home in Washington. (Washington Post photo by Juana Arias)
Are humans programmed to worship? Author says people have genetic propensity toward religious belief
By Bill Broadway The Washington Post
WASHINGTON -- Dean Hamer has received much criticism for his new book, "The God Gene: How Faith is Hardwired Into Our Genes."
[snip]
(Excerpt) Read more at hollandsentinel.com ...
I don't see how your conclusions follow your premises unless you're rejecting the doctrine of free will. I haven't any objection to predestination doctrine, but how does it follow from the Christian scripture that God chooses all those factors?
If we have free will, then it is the vast nexus of choices made by others throughout history that determines whether we are born, who our parents are, the society into which we are born, whether or not we'll be born healthy, and so on.
Your formulation is outright predestination. Again, I don't have a problem with that per se, but it seems your argument is: our lives are predestined, but we exercise free will.
That is quite a paradox..
If this is the subject of the recent guest on the Art Bell Show, the originator of this hypothesis is highly annoyed that someone has taken his idea without credit .
Book mark ping.
Of course we have choices. Nowhere on this thread do I say that we don't have choices. I'm stating the obvious, which is that the choices we have available to us are shaped -- and limited -- by the circumstances of our birth.
Even the "light" you mention is different for different religions and cultures. If a child is born into a Hindu family in the India, that child will grow up with an entirely different religious and world view than you or I. Same for a child born to Japanese parents who practice the Shinto religion. Or a child born in Nigeria to parents who practice the Muslim religion. Or a child born in Russia to parents who practiced Russian Orthodox Catholic. Or a child born in Israel to Jewish parents. Or to Palestinian parents. Or to Icelandic parents. Or to...
Surely you believe God gives us life. If you do, then what do you believe about the vast, vast array of different birth circumstances God selects for each soul to whom He gives life?
"That wouldn't be classed as a "genetic" propensity"
Of course not .. it's a spiritual gift from GOD to each human. But .. it's up to each human what they do with it.
A paradox, yes. But not a contradiction :)
Everyone you metioned has choices.
God even gave you the choice to proselytize; enjoy your choices. :)
Thank you, AntiGuv. You've at least given me a fresh perspective from which to look at the question.
Meaning no disrespect to you or anyone else, but I sometimes which people would read more carefully. I am merely stating the obvious, which is that to a considerable (do not insert exclusive) degree, who we are and what choices we have in life are determined before we're born.
I am also stating the equally obvious that, once we are on our life's path, we are responsible for many of the life choices we make. The two observations are not mutually exclusive.
To put it more plainly: God (or the vast nexus of choices made by others throughout history) gives us life. The parents, culture, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, health, etc., into which we're born gives us a template for our lives. To some degree, we cannot deviate from the template, and to some degree, we can. To the degree we can, we have free will to do so as we wish.
Book marked for later read!
What part of the above don't you understand? And why is it so hard to acknowledge not just our choices, but our limitations? I am not saying any of this in a religious context, but in a rational one. God gave us the ability to reason, after all. I choose to wonder, question, and hope for better understanding.
You can reason your life away ~ we make them up as we go ~ they have nothing to do with what's so.
Everything we do, we by choice ~ unless you think we are a machine. :)
I heard Limbaugh talking about this. He's making a mountain out of a molehill in my opinion and mustn't have a lot to talk about otherwise. The idea that human behaviour has a genetic component to it does not mean that every detail of behaviour is hard-wired into our genes, as Rush would have us believe the scientists are saying. Some aspects of behaviour is instinctive, some is learned. In creatures like insects and in some aspects of bird behaviour, everything is preprogrammed stereotyped behaviour. In humans, a lot more is obviously learned. All this guy is saying is that the urge to find some spiritual fulfillment may have a genetic component to it. The details depend on the cultural setting, the same as language. Rush is justing looking for a stick to beat scientists with, in my opinion. Flame away.
Some people consider that constraint an encroachment upon their freedom.
YES. I call it the 'oddshaped, Godshaped' hole in your heart.
We are body, soul and SPIRIT. The spirit part of us was made to worship God. We don't always do it because we have free will (God's only mistake, smile!) but it's the spirit that communes with God.
I think that while the premise is flawed, it is bore out in Romans 1....
There are others among us who are born with terrible diseases or defects, and for whom life is so short that they never get a chance to make any choices.
Life isn't all about choices. It's about limitations as well. And about making the best of the hand we're dealt in life. And about using the minds God gave us to better understand his purpose.
I have come to believe that the belief in God is genetic. That belief in God is as much a part of evolution as humans walking on two legs. It is a natural thing that comes from life itself.
It is natural because intelligent life forms that did not have faith and orientation towards God did not survive. It is critical that in order to succeed intellingent life forms must have faith.
John
John
I choose to live as my word, honor my commitments and keep my word.
...because you desire to do so. If ever you made a choice at a time when your desire to stick by that principle was ecplipsed by your desire to do otherwise, I can assure you you would not choose the lesser of those desires :)
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