THE GOD GENE

Dr. Dean Hamer, Ph.D. graduate of Harvard Medical School, is a geneticist working in the National Institutes of Health, seeking to find the genes that guide human behavior. Genetics is the "hottest ticket" in the field of human behavior these days.

In the early 1990's, Dr. Hamer discovered a "chunk" of genes linked to homosexuality and the study affirmed what many were saying, "Homosexuality has to do with how a person is created. Some are created heterosexual and some are created homosexual."

In the late 1990's, a gene mass was linked to monogamy. Now, we can predict whether a person will stray from their marriage vows by their DNA. With a DNA test, you can tell whether or not you are marrying someone who will be faithful to you. If your intended does not have the "monogamy gene" you can decide if you are willing to put up with their philandering behavior and if not, call the wedding off.

I recently read of a gene linked to belief in God. The presence or the lack of this gene explains why some people are religious and others are not. Those with the "god gene" actively attend church, synagogue, mosque or temple and they practice the tenants of their faith. And what of the priests, pastors, monks, rabbis and imams? - these folk have the "god gene" in spades.

Two things interest me in our recent genetic revival: the swing of the pendulum, and the discounting of the "choice factor." When I began my graduate studies, environment was linked to human behavior. We thought a baby came into the world like a blank tablet and all of the messages of behavior were written on this tablet by his/her environment. The adult was determined by the nurture the baby received or did not receive. There was little interest in considering the "choice factor" as a powerful determiner in behavior.

At one time (the period of the reformation with John Calvin} religionists touted that people were determined by God’s election (predestination). Here, again, choice was discounted. People had no choice! God chose some to go to heaven and some to go to hell.

Here is my best take on this subject - There are three factors that figure powerfully into determining our behavior and the persons we become: genetics, environment, and choice. All three factors are powerful. Environment and choice can alter genetics; genetics and environment can influence choice. But choice can override genetics and environment. We have choices even if they are reduced to how we will respond to what happens to us, and these choices are that for which we are responsible to society and ultimately to God.

Here is the good news. If I am in the mess I am in because of the choices I have made and not because of my genetic structure or my environment, then I can make other choices that will make life different for me. Accepting responsibility for my behavior is tough, but it is our only hope for a better life.