Is the ”God gene” a good argument against God? Does the ”God gene” disprove God?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The God gene hypothesis asserts that everything (including faith in God) has a purely natural explanation. These materialists, therefore, exclude God, the Creator, from their scientific endeavors. The result is empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human tradition and the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.

According to Scripture, rejecting or dismissing God's existence is corrupt and leads to an evil life (Romans 1:18-32). Such a person lacks spiritual wisdom, so they are incapable of doing anything that pleases the Lord (Psalm 14:1). An unbeliever lives a life with a heart hardened against God, so they cannot understand God’s revealed truth (Ephesians 4:18). The Bible warns believers not to be taken captive by such deceitful philosophies (Colossians 2:8).

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• The psalmist connects atheism with foolishness and unrighteousness: "The fool says in his heart, ’There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good" (Psalm 14:1). This Psalm aptly describes those who propound the “God gene” hypothesis.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• The truth about God is obvious. People can see God's eternal power and divine nature through everything He made. Yet ungodly, unrighteous men suppress the truth (Romans 1:18-21).
• In writing to believers in Ephesus, Paul describes how unbelievers’ hard hearts alienate them from the Lord: "They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart" (Ephesians 4:18).
• Paul’s warning to Colossian believers is just as relevant to Christians today: "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ" (Colossians 2:8). The “God gene” is an example of the “empty deceit” Paul wrote of.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

The notion that something within human genetics disproves God is not true. It stems from assuming that only the physical sciences are the arbiters of truth and knowledge (materialistic reductionism). Dean Hamer, author of The God Gene: How Faith is Hardwired into Our Genes, states the following about his research: "This is a book about why humans believe, not whether those beliefs are true…This book is about whether God genes exist, not about whether there is a God" (New York: Doubleday, 2004, p. 16). This refreshingly sober disclosure about his aim shows that using Hamer's research as a means to disprove God is simply wrong.

Nevertheless, as a materialist, Hamer does not believe God exists, and thus does not see any supernatural component to life. His goal of finding a "God gene" lacks evidence, in part because of the simpler genetic models available when he did his research. Current genetic research has revealed that the gene, and DNA, is vastly more complex than understood at the turn of the century. His hypothesis has not stood the test of time. There is virtually no serious scientific or theological scholar who supports Hamer’s hypothesis.

UNDERSTAND

• The God gene hypothesis asserts that everything, including God, has a materialistic explanation.
• The God gene is widely rejected by scientists and theologians and, most important, by Scripture.
• The Bible teaches that rejecting God leads to a darkened mind and heart.

REFLECT

• What scientific theories buttress your belief in God?
• How do you guard yourself against the world’s empty philosophies?
• What Bible verses are most helpful to you in discerning and rejecting atheistic philosophies?

ENGAGE

• What is a convincing way to counter someone who believes in the “God gene”?
• How can we use the natural world to testify to the truth about God?
• How does knowing some unbelievers have a darkened mind influence our witness to them?