The Evolution of Religion

What sentimental feeling is shared by every person that has ever existed? What carries us to the edge of our emotional limits and yet brings us back down to sanity? What is demonstrated in the meditative states of Buddhist monks and the prayers of Catholic priests? Faith drives our very existence. It is something expressed in every living person, religious or not. Why does everyone have this feeling, this urge and without it would we have evolved thus far? Would we still be living in the trees in Africa with our ape cousins?

Originating in the earliest of societies, spirituality and religious beliefs have been a part of every human civilization. What makes religion so 'instinctive'? Why do we have this drive to search for something more; an urge to hunt for a meaning in life and to understand the universe? In his article “The Development of Religion” Einstein declared that, “Everything that the human race has done and thought is concerned with the satisfaction of deeply felt needs and the assuagement of pain.” Emotions are the key to spirituality and therefore religion. And emotions are a product of our genetic configuration (Kluger 62). Hardwired into our DNA lies the predisposition for spirituality and religion which functions as not only a group-level adaptation, but also an intrinsic motivator that aids in the evolutionary advancement of the human race.

David Sloan Wilson’s most recent book, Darwin’s cathedral: evolution, religion and the nature of society emphasizes on the notion that religion may be a group-level adaptation which functions to advance, evolutionarily, a whole group instead of merely the individual. This is referred to as group-level natural selection which was only
shallowly explored by Darwin himself, who focused most of his attention on natural
selection as it applied to the individual (Okasha 1). Nevertheless, he did toy with the theory that natural selection perhaps acts at a group level, favoring some groups over others. “If that is so,” notes Samir Okasha, “we would expect to discover adaptations that enhance the survival and reproduction of groups of organisms, in addition to the individual-level adaptations that we see all around us.”

Wilson’s thesis, he argues, is that societies use religion as a means of controlling and synchronizing its members, which in turn allocates the society to operate as a solid unit. Religion acts purely as another survival mechanism, bringing its members closer together and separating them from rival societies. In addition, the author notes that the implementation of a strict set of laws facilitates a specific religious group to “function as an adaptive unit,” which as demonstrated in high school gym classes across the globe, is more proficient than doing something alone. By sticking together and creating a hierarchy, the group can survive and spread its ideas to surrounding peoples (Okasha 2). Evolutionarily, the factor which matters most to group fitness is its capacity to harmonize or synergize. Working together as a group is key in evolution. It is demonstrated in countess instances; since we are social creatures by nature, people survive and thrive in groups (Astore 1).

In order to verify his theories, Wilson studies a wide variety of religious communities. One case in point is the U.S. Korean-Christian churches and their diverse secular purposes. Immigrating to a strange country, one that doesn’t even speak your language can be frightening. Thus it comes to no surprise that many Korean immigrants
are attracted to these churches. Associating with others like yourself, especially in a
religious situation can provide the much-needed support. These places of worship educate Korean-Americans on how to survive in a strange country. From how to obtain the necessary licenses, to finding a job, to enrolling their children in school, these churches act as a foundation that these people can build off of (Astore 2).

One question that constantly arises is why do nearly all religions implement beliefs in supernatural beings and seemingly bizarre practices? As atypical as some of these behaviors seem, they all have adaptive value in the real world. Belief in deities, reincarnation, and the afterlife intrinsically motivate people to behave in a manner that is, in essence, adaptive for their society as a whole. Let us take the Christian rule ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you’ into consideration. This regulation acts not only to benefit the individual, but a community. The altruistic and collaborative nature of this rule portrays how belief in God leads people to engage in all sorts of actions which benefit the whole while simultaneously aiding the individual who now has a large band of kinfolk to protect and support them (Okasha 3-4).

While Wilson explores the group-level aspects of the religious experience he does not delve into the potential genetic basis for spirituality (Okasha 4). American geneticist, Dean Hamer’s new book, The God Gene draws upon the theory that spirituality is in our DNA. He explains that by providing people with a sense of purpose and the strength to overcome hardship, spirituality might present an evolutionary advantage. In addition, by aiding in stress reduction, preventing disease, and even extending life, spiritual belief increases the likelihood of reproductive survival (Kristof ).

In this dog-eat-dog world where people are murdering, stealing, and cheating each other to get ahead, wouldn’t it help if there was some moral code to keep people in line? This is where religion comes in. The concept of God materializes in cultures all over the world, even in the remotest of regions. There’s a better chance that this tendency is shuffled somewhere in our genome rather than picked up on the fly (Kluger 4).

Another factor in the development of spirituality is credited to the rapid growth of our brain size in the past million years. Our cognitive skills ballooned and suddenly we were able to contemplate our own demise (Sample). "Anticipation of our own demise is the price we pay for a highly developed frontal lobe," says Michael Persinger, professor of behavioral neuroscience at Laurentian University in Sudbury. "In many ways, (a God experience is) a brilliant adaptation. It's a built-in pacifier." This, consequently, illustrates why the need for religion originated in the first place and why it has persisted into the twenty-first century (Kluger 4).

Chief of gene structure at the National Cancer Institute, Hamer declared that he has located one of the genes presumably responsible for the universal feeling of spirituality. This gene also codes for production of the neurotransmitters that play a role in regulation of our moods (Kluger 1). By stimulating dopamine and other neurotransmitters, that can cause optimism and socialism, genes can promote spirituality and bring people together. Therefore, creating social ties and hierarchies which make civilizations stronger and more prosperous (Kristof). Hamer also identifies a particular gene, VMAT2, that he states may be involved. He declares that those with one variation of that gene tend to be more spiritual, than those with a different variation. The discovery of the gene transpired when he was conducting a survey on smoking and addiction for the National Cancer Institute. He recruited more than 1,000 individuals, who participated in a personality test (Temperament and Character Inventory) which measured spiritual traits such as mysticism and self-transcendence. This study intrigued him and prompted Hamer to do some research into the genetic basis of spirituality. So he ranked the participants from least to most spiritually inclined and took some DNA samples to see if he could find the genes responsible for the variation in scores. By limiting the search to genes that were heavily involved in the production of monoamines (neurotransmitters which included serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine) the culprit quickly reared its head. VMAT2 (or vesicular monoamine transporter) appeared to affect how the participants scored on the test. Individuals with the nucleic acid cytosine in one specific spot on the VMAT2 gene ranked high on the test while those with the inverse nucleic acid adenine in that location had scored lower. Though VMAT2 may play a massive role in the feelings associated with spirituality, Hamer asserts that this is not the only gene connected with the emotion (Kluger 2).

Other recent studies, twins who were separated at birth provided more evidence. Researchers found that twins tend to have analogous levels of spirituality, even in spite of different upbringings. In fact, identical twins are twice as likely to have similar degrees of spirituality than fraternal twins. Conversely, this does not mean that they may have similar religious practices. In fact, it seems the degree to which we participate or engage in a religious activity is a product of culture and the environment (Kluger 3).

Critics (especially in the scientific community) argue that Hamer's conclusions are too speculative and inconclusive. They claim that there should be more tests of the
VMAT2 gene in order to determine or rule out other potential behavioral links. His findings have not yet been replicated, a necessity in scientific research. "The field of behavioral genetics is littered with failed links between particular genes and personality traits," said author Carl Zimmer who reviewed the book (Broadway 1).

The function of one third of our genes is still unaccounted for an Hamer does not believe that the “God gene” is the entire reason for people's spiritual feelings. "Spirituality is too multifaceted to be captured in its entirety by a single measure," he admits (Gilmour).

While the evidence for the VMAT2 gene is somewhat questionable, the indication that spirituality is an evolutionary adaptation is much harder to debunk. With mounting evidence and a world of individuals who believe in evolution yet still hold true to their religious convictions, the notion doesn’t seem too far fetched.

In a world where an estimated at 83% or 5.4 billion people practice a religion, it’s hard to deny its impact and the obvious advantages it carries (Brown 1). The real problem is picking apart a mechanism that is still in action. Saying that God is a innovation created by our genetics goes against thousands of years of thought and teachings. It is a notion hard to swallow. And in essence, all of this evidence doesn’t prove or disprove whether God exists. The question, “which came first: God or the need for him?” is still tumbling around in the craniums of priests and scholars alike. One thing that is for certain is that a proclivity for faith in some form seems to be deeply embedded into our nature, as unexplainable and mysterious as our gods themselves.



Works Cited

Astore, William J. “Survival of the Fittest Religions?: Darwin's Cathedral: Evolution, Religion, and the Nature of Society by David Sloan Wilson.” Book Review. Endeavour 28.2 (June 2004): 54-55. Elsevier Sciencedirect. 3 Nov. 2005 .

Broadway, Bill. “Are People Born to Believe? Geneticist Says We Are ‘Hardwired’ for Spiritual Faith.” The Houston Chronicle 27 Nov. 2004. Infotrac: Custom Newspapers. 3 Nov. 2005 .

Brown, Kenneth. “Does Psychology of Religion Exist?” European Psychologist 10.1 (2005): 71-73. PsycArticles. 3 Nov. 2005 .

Einstein, Albert. Ideas and Opinions. Crown Publishers, 1954.

Gilmour, Peter. “The God Gene.” U.S. Catholic 70.2 (February 2005): 6. OmniFile. 13 Nov. 2005 .

Kluger, Jeffrey. “Is God in Our Genes?” Time 164.17 (October 25 2004): 62-8, 70, 72. OmniFile. 3 Nov. 2005 .

Kristof, Nicholas D. “Is Religion All in the Genes?” International Herald Tribune 15 Feb. 2005: 8. Infotrac: Custom Newspapers. 3 Nov. 2005 .

Okasha, Samir. “Could Religion be a Group-Level Adaptation of Homo Sapiens?: Darwin’s Cathedral: Evolution, Religion and the Nature of Society by David Sloan Wilson.” Book Review. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences 34.4 (December 2003): 699-705. Elsevier Sciencedirect. 3 Nov. 2005 .

Sample, Ian. “Life: Tests of Faith: Religion May be a Survival Mechanism. So Are We Born to Believe?” The Guardian 24 Feb. 2005: 4. Infotrac: Custom Newspapers. 13 Nov. 2005 .


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