The Jaina Doctrine of Karma And The Science Of Genetics: The God Gene Theory

Why is spirituality such a powerful and universal force? Why do so many people believe in things they cannot see, smell taste, hear or touch? Why do people from all walks of life, around the globe, regardless of their religious backgrounds or the particular God they worship, value spirituality as much as, or more than pleasure, power or wealth? It is argued that the answer is hardwired into our genes. Spirituality is one of our basic human inheritances. It is in fact an instinct.

The reason a sparrow sings the song of a sparrow, and not of a robin or a lark, is that it has the genes and brain of sparrow, not that it was raised by sparrow. Moreover, there is a dedicated brain circuit for song. In the God gene, It is proposed that spirituality has a biological mechanism akin to bird song, albeit a far more complex and naunced one: that we have a genetic predisposition for spiritual belief that is expressed in response to, and shaped by, personal experience and the culture environment. These genes, act by influencing the brain's capability for various types and forms of consciousness, which become the basis for spiritual experiences.

The first task for any scientist attempting to link genetics to spirituality is to show that spirituality can be defined and quantified. This is essential for any scientific analysis, regardless of the topic. Scientists measure things. If we cannot measure it, we cannot test a hypothesis about it, and if we cannot test a hypothesis, about it, it cannot be proved. Our major new finding revealed in "The God gene" is our discovery of a scientific individual gene associated with the self transcendence scale of spirituality. This "God gene" codes for a monoamine transporter - a protein that controls the amount of crucial brain signaling chemicals. Interestingly, those same brain chemicals can be triggered by certain drugs that can bring about mystical - like experiences.

The specific gene identified by no means the entire story behind spirituality. It plays only a small, if key role; many other genes and environmental factors also are involved. Nevertheless, the gene is important because it points out the mechanism by which spirituality is manifested in the brain. One of the important roles that God genes play in natural selection is to provide human beings with an innate sense of optimism. At the psychological level, optimism is the will to keep on living and procreating, despite the fact that death is ultimately inevitable. At the physical level, studies show that optimism seems to promote better health and quicker recovery from disease, advantages that would help us to live long enough to have and raise children and pass on our genetic heritage.^[61]