Is God In Our Genes?

Original Post: Kynara54leddon (10-20-07)

The "God Gene Hypothesis states that some individuals carry a genetic marker (VMAT2) which predisposes them to periods of "self-tracidence". This ability is generally characterized by three primary behaviors:

Self forgetfulness (the ability to become absorbed in a task to the exclusion of all else)

Transpersonal Identification (the ability to feel "connected" to the universe.)

Mysticism (the ability to be open on about ideas and concepts not emperically provable).http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,725072-1,00.html

As Dr. Dean Hamer explains one rationale behind his research: "Religious believers can point to the existence of god genes as one more sign of the creator's ingenuity—a clever way to help humans acknowledge and embrace a divine presence."

So, given that this gene appears to be widly distributed through the population...one has to wonder: When DID the genetic marker get introduced to the population, how, and by whom? And given the wide distribution of the marker, could it be concluded that the evolution of it wasn't necessarily restricted to one time, place (and individual)....

As enticing as the above quesitons are, however, I find myself pondering a different mystery: "Could this be what was truly intended by the term "Sang Real? Not for it to refer to elitist justification for suppression and sovereignty over others, but for it to refer to the ability for the human race to seek the Divine in a more intimate and participatory level?