Theology. Politics. Culture.

"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened." - Winston Churchill

"I want anyone who believes in life, liberty, pursuit of happiness to succeed. And I want any force, any person, any element of an overarching Big Government that would stop your success, I want that organization, that element or that person to fail. I want you to succeed." - Rush Limbaugh

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Is there a God Gene?

Is there a God gene and, if there is, would it disprove God's existence?  Surprisingly a lot of people are stumped by this question.  The latter, not the former.

 After all, Richard Dawkins says people are only Christians (or whatever other faith) because of where they grew up. It can be reversely argued that there are Christians in middle-eastern countries, and Hindus in America, and Atheists in America...  None of these make sense considering the location of the child's upbringing.  That can be countered, however. It may not be location, but parents, upbringing. That can also be countered. Many Christian parents raise rebellious children.

Blah, blah, blah. 

 Here's the article that got me thinking - http://www.theblaze.com/stories/is-belief-in-god-ingrained-in-our-human-nature-a-new-study-says-so/

It's the same with the God gene argument. First, a God gene hasn't been located. There's nothing physically in someone that would make them automatically believe in God. (Well, we have been given brains to think with, and thinking, in turn, should compel us to belief in God. But that's another matter.)

Above all of this back and forth arguing and idiocy stands one simple truth: The location, arising, or spawning of a belief can never logically disprove that belief. If I were indoctrinated into believing in gravity, does gravity therefore not exist? Of course, not. And vice-versa.

So, if a God gene were discovered, it wouldn't mean that we need to evolve it away. Perhaps God put it there. But whether He did or not, it wouldn't change the truth.