Question...
Is belief in a deity/s genetic or conditioned?
7
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Bananas have 50% of human dna and they like to cluster together so I'd say it's a coin toss.
This question should really be on your go fund me site, not here amongst infidels who pay scant attention to cognitive scientists trying to turn a trick or two.
Polemicist
Level 7
June 21, 2024
0
It has been postulated that there is a god "gene," but even if there is, I think it is mostly conditioning.
Gwen_Wanderer
Level 7
June 20, 2024
1
The " gene " could affect certain personalities more than others, making them more susceptible to influence.
In my opinion, conditioning, culture, fear, and substandard education have had the biggest success.
@Betty agreed. I stayed in the church largely because I was conditioned to believe in hell. As an adult, I used to look at the transfixed faces about me and could not feel whatever they were feeling.
Most people are conditioned using fear as a child to believe in a religion and very few ever get past that... Others which probably includes 40% of the world's population are low IQ and therefore more susceptible to fear based conditioning in later years.
Low IQs are not only genetic but also come from a lack of education so the answer to your question is both yes and no...
Lizard_of_Ahaz
Level 9
June 19, 2024
3
I agree that people with a lower IQ are more easily influenced. There are different kinds of education. A formal education does not ensure less susceptibility to religious influence as demonstrated by some members of the Supreme Court.
@Betty Depends on which school that formal education was at... Harvard has a religious component as well as many other so-called "Ivy League" schools which don't necessarily provide a good education and in many cases those with money can buy degrees for their children. Look at Trump he is a classic example.
@Lizard_of_Ahaz Doesn't bode well for the future of your country.
@Betty This has been going on for hundreds of years and one of the factors that has brought us to this knife's edge we are at today. I actually predicted this stage would take place 25 years ago but some incidents slowed it down a bit...
I made my prediction was in 1972...
@Lizard_of_Ahaz I believe you.
If you believe that homosexuals are born that way, and I do, this is an interesting question.
I believe there are addictive personalities, just waiting to have the right addiction pounce on them, even actively looking for one.
It is quite clear that many addicts (to any substance) never really become addiction-free, they merely exchange the destructive/illegal one it for something else (religion, sex, NASCAR et al), that is more socially acceptable and allows them to live a more normal life.
annewimsey500
Level 7
June 19, 2024
4
Predisposition to addiction is inherited but not absolute. Exposure to addictive personalities can increase the possibility of triggering an addiction. Some addictions are deadly and destructive to life and others like workaholics or perfectionists would be less destructive. As for homosexuality, you are correct. Homosexuality is determined in utero.
You are also correct that addicts will not become addiction-free. One unwanted behaviour must be replaced with a healthier behaviour that is less destructive to everyday life.
For those predisposed to addiction, much of is genetic. But like any addiction, it can be overcome. This is one reason why AA uses addiction to religion to ease people away from even more harmful addictions. For most people it is more a matter of upbringing and fear of the unknown. Others, it’s just easier than risking being ostracized by family and friends by announcing your lack of faith.
Barnie2years
Level 8
June 19, 2024
4
Different areas of the brain develop at different rates which is why we have different personalities and talents. Some are more empathetic and sensitive and are more likely to develop some kind of belief system while others do not.
Apparently it's both of nature and nurture. See below.
Ryo1
Level 8
June 19, 2024
4
Ryo1:
The God gene hypothesis proposes that human spirituality is influenced by heredity and that a specific gene, called vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2), predisposes humans towards spiritual or mystic experiences.
References linking genes to complex human traits, such as personality type or disease susceptibility, abound in the news media and popular culture. In his book The God Gene: How Faith is Hardwired into Our Genes, Dean Hamer argues that a variation in the VMAT2 gene plays a role in one's openness to spiritual experiences.
Experimenting with Spirituality: Analyzing The God Gene in a Nonmajors
Laboratory Course
[ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Conditioned. See also @HippieChick58's and @Fernapple's comments.
anglophone
Level 9
June 19, 2024
5
It's conditioned,you aren't born believing in a deity.
WayneDalton
Level 8
June 19, 2024
7
Totally conditioned. We're all born agnostic/atheist, it takes teaching and conditioning. Same as your political leanings, you generally learn them from your parents and your life experiences.
HippieChick58
Level 9
June 19, 2024
7
I agree to a certain extent. Areas of the brain develop differently and combined with life experiences and the ability to act and react to stimuli will determine their personalities.
We see people in tune with nature and those who could not give a damn. There is a spectrum, some will naturally seek out a higher power (deities, the universe, or nature). Others will seek knowledge and look to science. It is all relative.
The tendency to belief may itself, may vary a great deal, between people at a genetic level. But I do not think that belief in a deity, or any specific beliefs are genetic, since virtually no beliefs are common to all cultures. And indeed historically, beliefs in deities are probably not even the commonest sorts, but are quite late developments, only found in mostly post agricultural cultures.
Fernapple
Level 9
June 19, 2024
5
I would not describe the Aboriginals of Australia as being post agricultural cultures, but they have a Dreamtime. See [japingkaaboriginalart.com] for more information.
@anglophone Yes but they do not all have deities, indeed many are animists or ancestor worshipers.
I've always believed it was taught. Parents teach their children what they were taught from their parents and on it goes from generation to generation.
Redheadedgammy
Level 9
June 19, 2024
6
Thinking about it...It would seem to me to be a conditioned response. Parents/guardians are the first authority a child experiences then, through social experience, education, professional, and government. Would it be a stretch for most to accept an ultimate authority?
Childhood experiences are the strongest memories, and depending on how personalities develop and their experiences, would that not impact what they are influenced by?
Some of both. Genetic: only humans do it. Conditioned: belief is a meme that is transmitted by communication.
racocn8
Level 9
June 19, 2024
5
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