A recent study says it is:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,,1864748,00.html
2006-09-04 17:21:12 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Yes, Tammi Dee. I was thinking the same thing.
2006-09-04 17:28:07 · update #1
You mean like being Gay.
Tammi Dee
2006-09-04 17:23:45 · answer #1 · answered by tammidee10 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well, my parents didn't talk to me about religion unless I asked them a specific question. Religion was a touchy subject with my parents because they were all screwed up from having been Jehovah's Witnesses, so my dad was trying not to force anything on me and trying not to screw me up, but he went way far the other way. But even though I had no real talk about religion in my home, I have always believed in God. I think we all have somthing hardwired into us to try to find a meaning for life and why we are here and we want to believe some omnipotent being is looking out for us and protecting us.
2006-09-04 17:28:18 · answer #2 · answered by Reject187 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No. In the study, aspects of the correlation nature of humans is exposed, which religion takes advantage of, but is not innately religious.
For example, avoiding that which is associated with bad things makes sense from an evolutionary perspective, yet does not imply anything supernatural. If you notice that people who eat a certain plant die, there is an advantage to avoiding it even if you have no idea what poisons are. This same tendency may spill over to a sweater that is associated with bad things in your mind.
If you notice that members of your clan who go exploring a certain cave tend to not come back, it makes sense to avoid that cave even if you don't know a bear lives in there.
So while it certainly is instinctive to avoid places, objects, etc. that are associated with bad things, and conversely to cling to that which is associated with good, this in no way implies a predilection for religion.
The conclusion was clearly decided before the studies began.
2006-09-04 17:30:04 · answer #3 · answered by lenny 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Studies conflict. I suspect that our tendency to follow leaders makes it seem as if we are wired for religion. The stuff in that article is interesting, but does not make much of a case other than to say SOME people may be more wired for receptivity to religion than others.
For a much more involved discussion, read Daniel Dennet's "Breaking the Spell" which goes very deep into it. A part of his position is not so much that (some) people are wired for religion as that (some) people NEED religion. He is open to other suggestions.
I take more of a "some people are easily captured by religion" position, but I too am open to alternate views.
2006-09-04 17:30:49 · answer #4 · answered by sheeple_rancher 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I know some people have a yearning for religion, for a concrete set of teachings and practices that help them make sense of the world.
For me and many others, we just simply wish to surrender to the divine (spirit, truth, etc.) I find that I have no choice, that my need to connect to what I call God is like a yearning to return home when on a trip far away somewhere. (I know, cheesy explanation, but I can't think of any other way to say it)
Great question. May you, I, and others find what we are yearning for. Peace.
2006-09-04 17:29:42 · answer #5 · answered by Colin 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Humans are social animals so the desire to be part of a group is hardwired into us NOT religion per say. Religion and the notion of a god is obviously a learned experience.
2006-09-04 17:48:35 · answer #6 · answered by ndmagicman 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
just the narrow minded followers who need something tangible to hold on to making them scared to go through life without thinking a single rational thought. Maybe that is too harsh, but I just can't see believing in something that no one religion can agree on...sorry, but that's how wars get started, and I'm much smarter that that. I don't feel the need to have faith in some plastic icon to get the illusion of safety. But hey, some people need crutches to walk...
2006-09-04 17:25:14 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes. According to anthropology our earliest ancestors thought of being or beings of higher order than them. They attributed godly properties to objects(rocks, trees, animals) and nature(wind, fire)and had rituals and offerings. And though we may now categorize this behaviour as PAGAN, this still proved that with their limited brain-power they exhibited THEISM---a belief in a superior being/s or god/s.
2006-09-04 20:15:45 · answer #8 · answered by Romeo 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Religion isnt, but God is. There is a difference between religion and God. Religion is man made and follows what man dictates. God did not create religion and does not require anyone to follow one. All you need is God and the Holy Word of God
2006-09-04 17:25:34 · answer #9 · answered by tebone0315 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
i believe that God is always speaking and showing himself to us
we only need to see
so yes in away i think we are hardwired for him
he did create us after all
2006-09-04 17:24:43 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋