laca

My dear fellow human beings if you let me take the liberty and ask a question that has bothered me for a while:

Is there maybe genetic predisposition for humans to be theists or atheists?

Probably some competent scientist can contribute in answering my question.

PS
I hope I will not be accused, from either side, for asking a heretic question .

EricK

I don't think it will be nearly as simple as that. Here's a couple of examples:

Consider the propensity to question "authority". There will probably be a genetic component to this, but also be heavily dependent on upbringing. Now suppose someone has a propensity not to question authority. In a religious environment they will be religious but in a non-religious environment they will be non-relgigious!

Now consider the need to be looked after (in some sense). This too will probably have a genetic component and a non-genetic component. If someone has a propensity to this they may very well be religious in an environment where the prevailing religion has a "caring" god but may not be if the local religion has gods which are capricious.

Eric

laca

Erick thank you for your answer.

John A. Broussard

We have a tough enough time trying to figure out whether traits such as alcoholism are inherited in part, so I'd hate to venture out into claiming a genetic basis for theism and/or atheism.

Let's just say that there are certain gullible personalities which makes the repeated sale of the Brooklyn Bridge a feasible sideline, while other personality types are a bit more skeptical.

Whether those differences are due to nature or nurture is beyond the ken of current science.

mata leao

one may argue that strong religious belief has been a positive human survival attribute

MrWhy

Here's one person that's working on the answer.
http://www.samharris.org/index.php/samharris/about/

lenrek

This thread seems to be more suitable for S&S, thus moved...

MrWhy

http://atheist.tamu.edu/content/view/66/9/

Buffman

IMHO, currently, there is no scientifically accurate support for either conclusion. Personally, I have been interested in the Brain-Mind interface for many decades. The more I have researched that relationship, the more convinced I have become that any accurate answer to your query would require a very comprehensive book that provides one with an intimate understanding of human biology, chemistry, sociology, psychology and geography. In just the area of biology, one would need to study genetics, the human nervous system, sensory conditioning, inherent emotions/drives and many other closely related discipline fields. Since few folks have the time, backgrounds, formal training or desire to find an accurate answer, if one exists, to your question, perhaps you will allow me to approach one from a non-scientific stance.

http://www.pitzer.edu/academics/facu...n/atheism.html

(Extracts)
In recent years, a new attempt at explaining religious belief has emerged. Its central tenet is that belief in God is biologically natural or neurologically based. Developed largely by cognitive neuropyschologists and academic theists, this thesis argues that belief in God is in-born and inevitable, growing out of the “natural�? processes of the human brain.

Justin Barret (2004) has argued that belief in God is a result of the “way our minds are structured�? (p.viii) and “the way human minds operate�? (p.30). He argues that belief in God is “greatly supported by intuitive mental tools�?(p.17) and is “an inevitable consequence of the sorts of minds we are born with�? (p.91). Belief in God is “natural,�? resulting from the “natural workings of the human mind,�? and atheism is thus unnatural (p.108). David Wilson (2002) suggests that religion is part of humanity’s naturally evolving adaptive strategy, and that religious belief represents “the healthy functioning of the biologically and culturally well-adapted human mind�? (p.228). Michael Persinger (1987) has stressed the role of the hippocampus, the amygdala, temporal lobes, and hormonal processes, in explaining religious belief in God. Ashbrook and Albright (1997) focus on the neural underpinnings and workings of the brain in explaining belief in God. Newberg and D-Aquili (2001) argue that the religious impulse lies in an evolved “neurological process�? (p.9), that the roots of belief in God are to be found in “the wiring of the human brain�? (p.129), and that “as long as our brains are arranged the way they are,�? belief in God will remain (p.172).

The data presented in this chapter delivers a heavy blow to this new explanation of theism. First of all, the sheer numbers must be contended with. With between 500,000,000 and 750,000,000 non-theists living on this planet today, any suggestion that belief in God is natural, inborn, or a result of how our brains are wired becomes manifestly untenable. Secondly, anyone who argues that theism has neural roots and is a direct result of the natural way human minds work must then explain the dramatically different rates of belief among similar countries. Consider Britain (31-44% atheist) compared to nearby Ireland (4-5% atheist), the Czech Republic (54-61% atheist) compared to nearby Poland (3-6% atheist), and South Korea (30-52% atheist) compared the Philippines (less than 1% atheist). It is simply unsustainable to argue that these glaring differences in rates of atheism among these nations is due to different biological, neurological or other such brain-related properties. Rather, the differences are better explained by taking into account historical, cultural, economic, political, and sociological factors (Norris and Inglehart, 2004; Grontenhuis and Scheepers, 2001; Verweij, Ester, and Natua, 1997; Zuckerman, 2003).

Conclusion

Based on a careful assessment of the most recent survey data available, we find that somewhere between 500,000,000 and 750,000,000 humans currently do not believe in God. Such figures render any suggestion that theism is innate or neurologically based untenable. The nations with the highest degrees of organic atheism (atheism which is not state-enforced through totalitarian regimes but emerges naturally among free societies) include most of the nations of Europe, as well as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Israel. There also exist high degrees of atheism in Japan, Vietnam, North Korea, and Taiwan. Many former Soviet nations, such as Estonia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus also contain significant levels of atheism. Atheism is virtually non-existent in much of the world, however, especially among the most populated nations of Africa, South America, the Middle East, and much of Asia. High levels of organic atheism are strongly correlated with high levels of societal health, such as low homicide rates, low poverty rates, low infant mortality rates, and low illiteracy rates, as well as high levels of educational attainment, per capita income, and gender equality. Most nations characterized by high degrees of individual and societal security have the highest rates of organic atheism, and conversely, nations characterized by low degrees of individual and societal security have the lowest rates of organic atheism. In some societies, particularly Europe, atheism is growing. However, throughout much of the world – particularly nations with high birth rates – atheism is barely discernable.
(End extracts)

youngalexander

MrWhy and Buffman I salute you. :wave:
Those references were excellent. I have recently finished Sacred and Secular and was so impressed that I've attempted to give it a bit of a pump arround these parts. Goes a long way to explaining those frightful poll results that USA keeps putting up.

I have been studiously avoiding Sam Harris' book, but having read the 'interview' I fear that I'll have to give in. Sigh, another to add to the growing pile.