Spirituality is Genetic - but religion is learned. What do you think?

Question

Can people be 'inherently spiritual' due to genetic factors, regardless of shared environmental factors?

Is religion not genetic at all, but a learned cultural aspect of our lives?

Answer 1

That's an interesting idea - I agree. However, I am not spiritual, despite living in a spiritual culture AND, apparently, having spiritual genes.

Perhaps its a human idea that since stuff exists, something created it. And since the we also create stuff, the creator must be sort of like us. And since we create for a purpose, and the world is nice and convenient (look at a banana!), then the creator created it FOR us. Flawed reasoning, but understandable.

I also like your new avatar.

Answer 2

Yes, 100% with you on this. Every Human Being (for that matter everything under the sun) are inherently manifestation of Spirit. Religion are codes that are acquired socially over a period of one's evolution (primarily the parents influence this a great deal)

Religions are symbols required for our consumption because our discerning mind is not comfortable with Spirituality which cannot be understood by our physical senses - so "whatever is not understood is not true"logic would be in play. The learned Masters, Prophets realized this and hit upon the idea of Religion to help commoners with a tool to manifest the spirit (unfortunately, the symbols became more powerful than the underlying stuff :-)

Answer 3

Spirituality is Genetic?
I am not sure. I think it has a lot to do with condition and situation started when the baby is still in the womb.
Mother's emotion can effect the baby, mentally.
Mother's feelings or soul have lots to do with the child's character. But it's not genetic, that's what I think.

Religion is learned, I agree.
That's why lots of people try to explain what they think the teaching in their religion means; Yet nobody can force others to believe what they believe, they can explain but no guarantee it will be accepted.

What do you mean by cultural aspect of our lives? I dont understand.

Answer 4

Sounds good to me.

I do think people are inherently spiritual...that they have an innate sense of the existence of their own spirit and that they have a "conscience" that tells them right from wrong (good/bad, evil/good, whatever). I saw this clearly in my own child when he identified things he saw as "wrong" or "bad" that he hadn't been taught by anyone yet (a few times when he was just two or three, I actually questioned everyone he came into contact with to see if any of them had taught him that "x was bad").

...and I think that religion is something we learn. Perhaps that is at least part of what Jesus meant when he said, "let the little children come to me and don't hinder them for such is the kingdom of God". Throughout our lives, people heap a lot of baggage on every one of us with the things they teach us. Our parents pass down old wives' tales and all sorts of strange rules about good and bad (e.g., it is "bad" to leave the toilet lid up)...and then they heap their beliefs on us (seeming to forget that they don't even fully comprehend what they believe). Then they send us off to school for more indoctrination about right and wrong, truth and lie, good and bad. At some point our peers step in and start influencing our perceptions. ...and the whole time our conscience is being shaped by our experiences. We are taught the golden rule but learn from experience that just because we treat someone with kindness doesn't mean they will do the same. We do something we know is wrong and we seem to profit by that (e.g., stealing a cookie and not getting caught yielded a cookie!...must be ok to steal as long as you don't get caught!).

Answer 5

Sorry Cynic, but I believe that you are half-right (semi-correct?).

There can be no doubt that religion, as a belief system, is taught (usually from parents to children).

Spirituality, on the other hand is a gift. Genetics may contribute, but even people who have never had Spiritual ancestors can become Spiritual.

More than any other factor, experience combined with the innate human relationship with environment seems to lead to Spirituality. Genetic, yes, in the sense that having two eyes and two ears and ten fingers are genetic also.

Is this unique to humans? Perhaps, but you should check with a few whales and dolphins first before you make up your mind. I realize that they might understand your question better than you might understand their answer.

Answer 6

While religion may be learned (in the sense, that it is derived/acquired) ; spirituality is far different and beyond the relatively constricted domains of genetics! The domains of genetics, by themselves, though, are vast indeed and are by no means to be underestimated ; they belong mostly to the exact sciences, while spirituality (in a way) begins, where exact sciences end. Or better still, exact sciences are a pretty small subset of spirituality.

Answer 7

Yes, I do believe we are inherently spiritual as a child and religion is later learned. As a child, your spirit knows if you are mean, or being unkind to others. You appreciate nature and your experiences are new with innocent eyes. This is why when you hear something that does not make sense, you reject it.

Answer 8

I think we have a gene that seeks out these spiritual things. Why else would we (as humans) have spiritual stories dating back thousands of years ago -- in separate communities? And why would so many be so similar (similar genesis stories, etc)?

If we are genetically looking for a god, doesn't it make sense that a god placed that gene there???? Tell me of a society that didn't worship a deity.

Answer 9

So is reading, learning the language of their caretakers, learning to function as a social creature. Refer to the all too many cases of children who have been caged or locked in closets for years. Isolated and primitive tribes sought spiritual awareness, and a power higher than themselves.

Answer 10

Ah, very sturdy question! sure, there is this type of project as having inherited a present day. that is religious. that is surpassed down by using ancestral Ki (or chi in chinese language or potential/life rigidity in English, or genetics for us scientific minded people) that is certainly a fashion of being waiting to think of spiritually. i think of you may study to be religious additionally, despite the fact that it may desire to not come for sure. all of us have our very own presents that have been exceeded directly to us. no be counted how difficult I attempt i won't be in a position to color like Monet. That replaced into his present; making captivating artwork.

Answer 11

all living things, human or animal, have an innate spirituality.

whether all humans choose to tap into that is another matter!

religion is learned, yes! even those who say their god found them - well, if you had never heard of him/it/her, would god still have spoken to you then? in the representation that you have formed?
or would you, instead, have been filled with love and respect for Nature and its wonders?

therefore, religion is a "learned cultural aspect of our lives" indeed

nice question, and a star for you!

blessed be