Molecular biolgist Dr. Dean Hamer in his recently published book The God Gene: How faith is hardwired into our Genes explored this "sense", or feeling of a higher power, and has concluded that it could quite possibly be the result of a gene known as vmat2. This gene may be directly responsible for an inherited predisposition for spirituality. Dr Hamer narrowed his search for the suspected spirituality gene to nine specific genes known to play major roles in the production of monoamines. These chemicals include serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine, which regulate functions such as mood and motor control. A variation in a gene known as vesicular monoamine transporter, or vmat2 seemed to be directly related to how volunteers for Dr. Hamer's experiment scored on his self-transcendence test. Those volunteers with the nucleic acid cystosine in one particular spot of the gene scored higher than those with the nucleic acid adeniine in the same spot. A single change in a single base of the gene seems to be directly related not to the belief in God, but to the increased probablility that the individual will identify as spiritual. The results of Dr. Hamer's experiments are not wholly impressive, mainly because his work has yet to be repeated, and much of his analysis is transcendence; rather, it is a result of chemical signals.

Just found this interesting thought I might share it. Of course it is not scientifically proven but I found it interesting none-the-less. I have found that almsot all people i skydive with are spirtual in one form or another. Could it be they are addicted to a chemical that indcues spirituality? Adrenaline? Oh well just a thought.
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neur...1/ahussein.html

That is a hallmark of the scientific method. Without that, he is dead in the water.

Star, hmm, i have wondered why some seem to be so bent on religion, no offense to anyone, I as a kid (7) oddly knew it would not be my path, Like some know as kids what their passion will be in life i knew it wouldn't be religion and i had no reason to question at 7 and much to the saddness of my folks they honored my decison i remeber going home from Catholic school telling my Mom I didn't want to go there anymore it wasn't for me, she took me out, she felt you should decide for yourself if you want to be reliogious.. But this in and of itself is just a story... is it possible i have the NB gene J/K..Interesting thankyou for sharing

Not yet but you never know....keep an open mind Rykster.

Yo, Rykster, poke my head with a stick. I want to know if I have a God gene.

I have an open mind, but that does not mean that I let garbage flow into it.

You're welcome Sheri. You know I was very much the same way as a kid. i believed in my own thing but I knew I did not fully believe what was being taught. I can't explain it, i just looked at the world differently. perhas it is a gene perhaps it is just free will. We might never know.

I'd like to think that it is just who we are in our minds....but you know Sheri I knew at a young age too. I just think I fell into the trap of conditioning by society, I did what was the "norm" and what was expected of me. I believe envoronment and society plays a huge roll but I think our minds know sometimes before they are conditioned.



Yes neither do I and that is why I usually chose to ignore such comments.

^^^
Anything that disagrees with your religion, is garbage to you. Got it.

Rykster Star is the kindest sweetest member we have on this side and its good for us to have this example so lets not chase our Star off okay thanks Namaste sheri

Not trying to push anyone away, but won't condone BS either.

Quit shoving people around, Rykster.

I don't intend to shove anyone around, if I did, I apologise.

It was a joke.

Star isn't doing anything more then posting an article she felt was interesting, she wouldn't intentionally offend anyone or try to pass of B.S. really we got a lovely gal here, just asking if you wouldn't mind giving her some breathing room, but certainly have your opinions they are interesting I read them, Namaste sheri

Great post Sheri

Is it possible to have the NB gene indeed?? and I anit kidding LOL I'd dare say a vast number of chrsitians all at one time or another where NB's....i'll tell you whats worse than a chrsitian that was just born into the faith and kept it going...an ex NB who later converted...thats a lot heavier than a normal christian...stronger even...and when I say what's worse...I mean the ex NB's that did convert tend to lean towards conveting those and they preach heavier than the ones that where born into the faith....this folks is not any form of insult...its just how I see it here in real life

Zimmer's perspective on Hamer:

Is the God gene real? The only evidence we have to go on at the moment is what Hamer presents in his book. He and his colleagues are still preparing to submit their results to a scientific journal. It would be nice to know whether these results can withstand the rigors of peer review. It would be nicer still to know whether any other scientists can replicate them. The field of behavioral genetics is littered with failed links between particular genes and personality traits. These alleged associations at first seemed very strong. But as other researchers tried to replicate them, they faded away into statistical noise. In 1993, for example, a scientist reported a genetic link to male homosexuality in a region of the X chromosome. The report brought a huge media fanfare, but other scientists who tried to replicate the study failed. The scientist's name was Dean Hamer.

These speculations take up the bulk of The God Gene, but in support Hamer only offers up bits and pieces of research done by other scientists, along with little sketches of spiritual people he has met. It appears that he has not bothered to think of a way to test these ideas himself. He did not, for example, try to rule out the possibility that natural selection has not favored self-transcendence, but some other function of VMAT2. (Among other things, the gene protects the brain from neurotoxins.) Nor does Hamer rule out the possibility that the God gene offers no evolutionary benefit at all. Sometimes genes that seem to be common thanks to natural selection turn out to have been spread merely by random genetic drift.

Rather than address these important questions, Hamer simply declares that any hypothesis about the evolution of human behavior must be purely speculative. But this is simply not true. If Hamer wanted, he could have measured the strength of natural selection that has acted on VMAT2 in the past. And if he did find signs of selection, he could have estimated how long ago it took place. Other scientists have been measuring natural selection this way for several years now and publishing their results in major journals.

The God Gene might have been a fascinating, enlightening book if Hamer had written it 10 years from now--after his link between VMAT2 and self-transcendence had been confirmed by others and after he had seriously tested its importance to our species. Instead the book we have today would be better titled: A Gene That Accounts for Less Than One Percent of the Variance Found in Scores on Psychological Questionnaires Designed to Measure a Factor Called Self-Transcendence, Which Can Signify Everything from Belonging to the Green Party to Believing in ESP, According to One Unpublished, Unreplicated Study.



http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID...02F83414B7F4945

Rykster
I think you misunderstand me. I enjoy talking to skeptics or non-believers, I do not regard their thoughts as garbage. On the contrary I believe they bring balance to the believer's mind. I myself am skeptical about certain things but I also realize I do not know everything. I just try to keep an open mind and yes I have my own moments where have preconcieved ideas that are challenged and I am never sorry to be challenged. It teaches me humility and at the same time gives me strength and helps me grow.

Your preface under your name saids the following; I debunk you not out of hostility but rather in search of the truth." Yet you have debunked something that hasn't been researched enough to say whether it is truth or not. If the truth is what you seek than wouldn't it be better to wait for the end result rather than debunk something before hand? Just my thoughts of course. You know Rykster I do enjoy your sarcastic skeptisism at times, I can certainly appreciate your humor at times.

No hard feelings. Just as you seek to debunk I seek the challenge of thinking outside the box so I guess we are similar.

Thank you for this read. I do not say I believe either way but I think the possibility or notion is interesting as well as what you provided here.

Becky's Mom

You said something that really made me think and brings a whole new spectrum to the post....people who convert. If there was a gene would it even make sense that someone converted later in life to be a believer? Or vice versa? But in the same regards I wonder if its possible if we did have some kind of gene that pre-concieves our spirituality that through development and life experience and such that we break away from such a gene that would cause pre-concieved ideas. Just thinking aloud.

Thank you for that thought....that never even crossed my mind honestly until I heard you say it.

My parents raised my family without religion, and I am far from an atheist as you can get.

No probs Star