is faith genetic? why do some people "believe" and others don't?

Question

is there evidence of a genetic predisposition to a belief in god?
i was brought up in a church going family but i am (to be honest) contemptuous of pushy believers. the entire god arguement never "clicked" with me. is faith or skeptisism hardwired?
please don't say repent or die. this is a serios question.
if you believe or disbelive explain why and don't be rude please

Answer 1

I think faith is environmental instead of genetic. People tend to adopt what they have been exposed to.

Just think of all the people you know who have ended up in careers similar to one of their parent's careers. Most of the 30-year-old doctors I know have doctors or dentists for parents. I'm a science teacher, and my kids are a chemical engineer, a biologist, and a computer science major. The local funeral director's son is studying to be a funeral director. Then we shouldn't be surprised to find that people who are raised in families with strong religious faith will also exhibit strong religious faith.

One of the most interesting theories I ever heard is that the relationship Christians have with God is closely tied with each person's relationship with their own father. The Bible is so full of "father" symbolism. So if someone's father is distant or has been absent from the family, the children in that family may feel distant from the Christian god. That explained a lot to me when I read it, and I've been considering that explanation for years.

Answer 2

No. The reason "by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9) is that merely believing someone else is a thing that every human on the planet can do, from 50 IQ Down's Syndrome to 180 IQ super genius. Neither brains nor emotions have anything to do with it.
And the simple fact is that every human on the planet DOES believe something, about God even. What most people believe is wrong, but all people have some concept of God; even atheists make a statement about God.
So, in a way, you could say that faith is a genetic hard-wiring for humans, but it isn't specific to a race.
Skepticism is merely a decision to believe under personally determined circumstances. Again, it's a belief and statement about God, even if one skeptically says none at all.

Answer 3

No. If faith have been genetic, you're able to have your mum and dad' faith genes, so which you too could be non secular. many times faith is desperate by using the encompassing way of existence, yet some greater open-minded and clever human beings (such as you and me) question the belief of a "splendid being" even whilst mum and dad have faith in God. So that's in part based on your individual intelligence.

Answer 4

well rick it is interesting that you shoul ask that question. recently scientist have been doig some studies to prove that there is a center in your brain that is responsible for religion. the findings they have been proporting are interesting ones. You may search the net for the functions of the frontal lobe, how it relates to religion and how we may damage our frontal lobes making it somewhat seem difficult to relate to GOD.
When it comes on the genes however, it is somewhat of a differernt story. Religion is not embedded in our genes - no. Genes do not affect how we think. Our environment, experiences and socialization are some factors that influence such.
On the other hand, someone may argue that faith is genetic, for the Bible states in Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and come short of the glory of GOD" thus we were all born sinners which coul be termed "genetic" in that sense.
Thus what it all boilsdown to is a matter of choice, you may choose to be faithful. You have said that you dont click in that regards. I would say that the possiblity lies that you have not been feeding your faith. We feed our faith in GOD by reading the Bible- His words to us, praying,singing, sharing our testimony with others and meditating upon HIS goodness among other things
My encouragement to you is---- dont give up.

Answer 5

i dont think that there is any thing about a genetic code to believe in god.


On your other question though i was also raised to always fallow gods word and always go to church, and i dont believe in god. to me theres no real proof that he exist. all there is are words and text. The text for all we know could have been an old bedtime story to make children to act right and to do as they wear told to just like today we have all these different way to get childern to behave and none of them actually are real. they were just made up. and with using verbal text it is the same as a rumor. when the truth or a lie is told it is spread around. and going from person to person the rumor is changed in some form or way. for example you could take " The teacher was fired yesterday" and after a couple of hours and passing through about 100 people or so it could be "The teacher was fired for getting into a fight" i know this because my teacher actually quite because of the stress and by the end of the day it was he was fired for hitting another teacher. So if you take the word of the bible or whatever and pass it through over billions of people for over 2000 years you will get something that is beyond the original. so i dont believe in god because he could have just been a man that did great things and he was just remembered for it

Answer 6

As a child we were taken to church occasionally. Episcopalian. Mom and Dad, do not know what they did, maybe shopped, maybe just had some time off from us. I was always intrigued with the rituals. But sort of quit going as i got older. Married and got so mad at the minister of another denomination making fun of other denominations. I knew he was being off the wall.But years later in my 30s there was a vacant part in my self or being. nothing had filled it or satisfied it. And so on a dare I prayed. Low and behold He answered., I am satisfied now. Not much help in answering you maybe, I think we all have an emptiness, how we choose to get it filled? I am glad i was challenged. Good luck on your quest.

Answer 7

it has got nothing to do with genes
there are two kinds of people- rebellious and conformists
the rebels dont accept anything without proof just like you and a whole lot of people like scientists etc.
the conformists accept everything, they dont question
let me tell you GOD is an experience and not an experiment
your family doesnot go the the church for the reason -'everybody goes'.
they go because they 'feel' GOD. in science it is first experiment
then belief
with God it is first belief then experiment, that is the difference
i dont blame anyone for the dispute except the education system
it does not matter which religion u follow or which god it is the same. the first step is to be taken by you. then god takes ten.
unfortunately we either hesitate or dont take it and our lives ebb away.
trust me take a step

Answer 8

It is not genetic but what one conditions there mind to do, which doesn't mean we have to start at a young age either. I have a friend who was raised in an atheist family. It was not until she became mature that she questioned her atheistic beliefs. Faith comes from the thing heard, and in her case becoming a Christian from her Bible reading and practicing those teachings from her own observation of scripture.

Answer 9

I don't believe it can be hardwired, but fear and inquisitiveness are part of our make up. The faith thing, which is environmental (nurtured), stems from a need to try and satisfy these innate qualities. We like to have answers, and go off to find them. We often have to rethink or scrap altogether society's previous answers, though.

Answer 10

In no way is faith genetic.

I was brought up in a Catholic home, I went to church and sunday school and I am not religious at all.

I think faith is a learned behaviour it come from the culture, society home that you grew up in.