You wrote: “But I realized I don’t care. I do it because I have O+ blood and people in trouble need my blood. What gene is there that makes me do that? There’s no reinforcement, there’s no certainty that my cooperation will make society stronger and make it more likely that I (along with the recipient) will be more likely to pass on my awesome genetic material. I do it because I follow a Lord who is the ultimate in altruism, but without doubt there are many atheists and agnostics who donate blood. Can there really be a gene sequence that makes them do that? How would such a gene work, since it would basically require that certain very abstract thought patterns trigger a very concrete and specific behavior? To me, that takes more faith to believe than believing in God.”
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My response: Actually, there is plenty of science out there to explain why animals (including humans) show compassion for others, or altruism, or whatever you want to call it, and it has nothing to do with “morality” or religion. There is in the brains of many animals a “mirror-neuron system” that many scientists now believe explains why and how animals develop empathy for other animals. It is in essence the manner in which animals, again, including humans, come to understand the suffering, comforting, pleasure, and other “feelings” of others.
We don’t need no stinking Bible to feel empathy for our fellow man. Altruism is a behavior we can develop from watching other animals. Buy a dog. It will teach you unconditional love.
A whole lot of cultures have had dogs; few have had unconditional love for anyone but their own family members.
If morality all boils down to genetics, why give out the Medal of Honor, or jail sentences?