Study Links Spread of Religion With 'Believer Gene'

By Al Webb
Religion News Service

LONDON -- A British university study suggests that people of strong faith can spread religion through a "believers' gene" that is part of their DNA.

Cambridge University economics professor Robert Rowthorn theorizes a "predisposition toward religion" in a paper published in "Proceedings of the Royal Society B," a prestigious journal of Britain's Royal Society of scientists.

Rowthorn suggests that people with strong religious beliefs tend to have more children and that this, combined with a genetic predisposition to believe, can explain the expansion of religion.

The academic cites the World Values Survey in 82 nations from 1981 to 2004, which found that people who attended religious services more than once a week had an average of 2.5 children; those who never attended averaged only 1.67.

"The more devout people are," Rowthorn wrote, "the more children they are likely to have."

This, coupled with a "genetic endowment" that his theory ascribes to strong believers, could mean the spread of faith across the broad sweep of the population.

As one example of a rapidly growing religious community, Rowthorn cited the explosion of the Old Order Amish population in the United States, from 123,000 in 1991 to 249,000 in 2010.

In practice, Rowthorn said, many people leave their childhood religions behind, or marry outside them and have less children, thus slowing the spread of the "believer's gene."

But the genetic disposition remains so strong that "the religiosity gene will eventually predominate," and a significant increase in religious believers should still be on the cards, Rowthorn suggests.

Comments

[brainDancer]

05:31 PM on 01/18/2011

This guy doesn't have a "theory", he has a hypothesis. If you're going to have a science section you should probably have an editor who understands the difference between these two terms.

Anywho, given the statistics this guy used to formulate his hypothesis, it seems more likely that the spread of belief in a god has more to do with memetics than genetics. Then again, any study into memetics isn't going to go much further than a hypothesis. we just dont know enough about consciousness...yet.

[Cichawoda]

10:18 AM on 01/19/2011

The reporter is to blame for the poor quality of the article not the economist who created a simple mathematical model based on assumptions about genetics and population growth. It's not even a hypothesis, the original title is: "Religion, fertility and genes: a dual inheritance model"
The "religion" gene that this article talks about and that is used in the model is based on "...The findings of Koenig & Bouchard [13] suggest that a genetic predisposition towards religion is associated with obedience to authority and conservatism." which in turns leads to the idea that is in his final conclusion that "...the diffusion of religiosity genes into the rest of society should see an increase in the number of secular people who are genetically inclined towards such values."
As you can see this is nothing like the report here.

[kamana kapu]

12:52 PM on 01/18/2011

Notice the heavy emphasis on having lots of children? Children can be bullied and coerced into ‘beleiving’ by their parents so that when they grow older they, too, can be numbered amongst the ‘true believers’, thus bolstering their parents belief that there are such things as a gods.

[goomack14]

11:14 AM on 01/18/2011

Sure, maybe there is a gene that correlates to accepting scenarios to fill in the gaps of understanding/knowledge and as long as the idea isn't challenged the person is 'cool' with it. And I am even cool with calling it 'believers' gene' as long as it encompasses everything, not just religion or spirituality, but other things like: Thinking you can beat the odds at roulette; those bracelets that supposedly help you balance actually help you balance; male 'enhancement' pills make you a stud; your zodiac (new or old) determines your personality; nessy is running thing in the lock; we never landed on the moon, but e.t. took my dad for study; and ghosts etc. etc. etc.

In other news an accountant with Goldman Sachs published a finding of the D.U.H. gene or 'DUH'

[Cichawoda]

10:20 AM on 01/19/2011

The "religion" gene that this article talks about and that is used in the model is based on "...The findings of Koenig & Bouchard [13] suggest that a genetic predisposi­tion towards religion is associated with obedience to authority and conservati­sm."

[goomack14]

03:11 PM on 01/19/2011

So, one is constantly duped by an appeal to authority (most of my list) and/or one's ability to stick with traditions (that fill in gaps in understanding/knowledge) that seem to be harmless or even beneficial to the individual (Illusory association, among other things). I mean, what does it hurt to think that nessy is alive and swimmin'? Heck you might even meet a lass at your weekly nessy group and 'tie the loch'. It's still in the same vein as religion/spiritual 'understanding' (mis)

[chipchuck]

10:01 AM on 01/18/2011

I don't think it's exclusive to religious belief. Maybe a gene that influences strong to unwavering belief in the individuals point of view. I've observed the same unquestioning mindset in theists and atheists alike. Beyond that I've observed varrying levels of belief on both sides.

To pose a question. Is it posible for an individual to resist the machinations of their genes? If you have the god-gene can you choose atheism? If you lack it, can you find happiness in theism's teaching? What about the alledged gay-gene? Can you have it and choose against it? Or vice versa, and at that point is being gay or straight a choice?

[squat6971]

09:21 AM on 01/18/2011

Not a shred of evidence, but a nice "what-if" conjecture. Would explain a few things.

Back to the labs!

[camus12]

07:04 AM on 01/18/2011

Study links scientific stupidity with "stupidity" gene !

[dubbleplusgood]

12:51 AM on 01/18/2011

If the genetic code is ever identified, it will read as "ZZZZ". Yet another piss-poor 'study' trying to link science and religion where no link exists.

[Daleri Rileda]

04:42 AM on 01/18/2011

It is more like they are tryin to link belief in God with a genetic defect.

That is not likely because all kinds of people are Christians.

[Indon]

10:18 PM on 01/17/2011

I'm not buying it.

It's an interesting hypothesis, but should not be taken seriously until the actual 'Believer Gene' is positively identified. As it is in the article, this gene has not been demonstrated to exist.

Until then, this article should be relegated to the same place all comparable evolutionary psychology goes: the garbage.

[Daleri Rileda]

04:43 AM on 01/18/2011

Well said.

[Raven Waters]

10:14 PM on 01/17/2011

Do the people with the believer genes believe there are homosexual genes?

[Indigo1941]

06:28 PM on 01/17/2011

Post hoc ergo propter hoc conjecture with no DNA evidence apart from speculation? That isn't even good alchemy! Fortuantely, such foolish conjecture is evidence of a collapsing educational system in the United Kingdom, not in the United States.

[aacme]

06:15 PM on 01/17/2011

Could give a whole new meaning to "Spread the faith".

I'm not a sex fiend, I'm a missionary.

[TheTheoretician]

06:12 PM on 01/17/2011

There is no such thing as a believer gene. This is conjecture at best and hurtful at worst.

Peace on Earth,

Ik

[Daleri Rileda]

04:54 AM on 01/18/2011

It is highly offensive wrong and racist.

They must be checking to see what people think of their idea.

Believers consist of all kinds of people.

You don't have to be of a particular race to recognize the truth.

They are so confused.

[JonW]

05:49 PM on 01/17/2011

What a crock! Soon there will be a gene or psuedo-gene for Man's every behavior. Too bad these researchers can't get a "real" every day job!

[Lou Kavar]

05:23 PM on 01/17/2011

The researchers for this study state: "This paper assumes that there exist genetic differences between individuals that affect their predisposition towards religion." In other words, while there has been some research supportiving a genetic basis for religious belief, it's not yet been proven. The researchers for this study assume that the genetic basis for religious belief is present and extrapolate from this (and other) assumptions. The article above implies a relationship which is not supported by this research. While it's an interesting study, I'm not sure that the writer of the article understood it.

[Cichawoda]

05:54 PM on 01/17/2011

You made me check — "By Al Webb, Religion News Service" does that sound like a real person to you?

[Cichawoda]

05:01 PM on 01/17/2011

The accentual paper is way better than this article and in fact reaches a different conclusion.
http://tinyurl.com/6jlveen
The genetic propensity described as "religiosity" is based on the findings of Koenig & Bouchard suggesting that a genetic predisposition towards obedience to authority and conservatism is associated with religion.

So yes, people with a personality that favors obedience to authority would tend to fall for all the dogmas offered up by people who have a genetic predisposition for telling others what to do.

There is another set of humans with a predisposition for skepticism — these are your scientists, artists, writers and other nogoodniks. They probably have the fewest children because they are too busy contributing in other ways.

[AnthropologistAmongApes]

05:15 PM on 01/17/2011

Well said, and the distinction makes a world of difference here. The implications extend to all authoritarian structures from corporations and government to family and community. That gets us to a much larger pathology of which religion is merely one expression.

[Lou Kavar]

05:24 PM on 01/17/2011

Thanks for posting the link to the study. I was about to look for it and then saw your comment.