While we're on the topic of genetics, here's a new study that proposes to link genes and religion.
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.
That actually makes sense. Religion correlates with many beneficial social traits, and although it's unlikely that religion itself is genetic, it's intuitive that many of the traits associated with "religion" have genetic components.
About a dozen studies have shown that religious people tend to share other personality traits, although it is not clear whether these arise from genetic or environmental factors. These include the ability to get along well with others and being conscientious, working hard, being punctual, and controlling one's impulses.
It's likely that these traits predispose a person towards accepting and thriving in a "religious" environment, and that religion is an effect rather than a cause. An interesting situation, considering that genetic predisposition is no excuse for sin -- or for disbelief.
Update:
Clayton Cramer discusses genetics in the context of predestination.
I'm not "religious"... but I'd say that I do possess many "beneficial social traits".
I am: responsible, honest, loyal, caring, loving, forgiving, and patient. I bring those qualities with me in everything I do.
Mark, nobody here is disputing that. I think what MW was saying is that we may be genetically predisposed to be interested in religion-- not that all people who are born with beneficial social traits must join organized religions or that none who don't join have these good qualities.
Many other people who have your same qualities are interested in religion of one sort or another. That's all the article says.
I suppose... but I don't think the issue is as much about "religion" as it is about spirituality. Religions are just classifications of the different forms that spirituality takes. Some religions include the concept of creator Gods.. and some don't. Some advocate violence in pursuit of its teachings... and some (most, actually) do not.
On some level or another, I'd bet that all of us believe.. or at least wonder about.. what more there is to life and existence than what we can identify with our 5 senses. It's also a pretty good bet that such wonder is a universal part of the human condition. We wonder about a lot of things. We wonder what's beyond our metaphorical horizons. We wonder if there's a better way to do something or to build something. Wondering about what there is to existence beyond ourselves and what we know of this planet is just another manifestation of that general sense of wonder.
The traits that Michael named actually seem to be more focused on organized religion rather than spirituality. Ability to get along well with others, being conscientious, and being punctual are especially traits that are good when you're a member of organized religion, but don't really matter so much if you're just "spiritual." It could be debatable as to whether the other two are more beneficial for organized religion, but personally I think they are, as more organized religions tend to focus on hard work and controlling impulses than more personally based spiritual religions. Compare Christianity and Wicca for instance.
Getting along well with others, being conscientious, and punctuality are not traits with benefits that are only useful for organized religions. They are beneficial to everyone... Christian and Wiccan alike.
Mark: Yes, but such people may more easily thrive in the context of an organized "religion"... and I use quotes because most such "religions" are actually false and idolatrous. Such traits are not uniquely Christian, even though Christianity is uniquely True.
MW said: "I use quotes because most such "religions" are actually false and idolatrous."
.. according to you and your belief system.
Mark,
and your point is?
What's my point with what? Which post of mine on this topic do you not get the point of?
The idea that religion is somehow hardwired into humanity is explored in Arthur C Clarke's 2001 series of novels. The narrative device used is that some alien intelligence planted "religion" near the dawn of civilisation.
It certainly seems that humans have a tendancy to invent spirits. It is the natural way of "understanding" phenomena to anthropomorphise things like weather and crop cycles. I guess that's a seperate phenomenon from organised religion, although the former is often the foundation of the latter. Monotheism is an intriguing anomaly.
An interesting corollary to the idea that an individual's genes might predispose one towards religion is that other viable sets of genes might predispose one away from it.