Could being a skeptic about religion possibly genetic or an inherited trait?

[Godless Geek]

I learned something recently about my grandfather on my mother's side. I read a little book that my grandmother wrote about her life. She stated that "he had his own religion." I'm not sure exactly what she meant, but I think that means he was simply skeptic about christianity. My mother has said that she believes in "a higher power," but she won't use the words atheist or agnostic. Which I think makes my mother a "deist." And my brother and I are atheists. I think my brother would be a "weak atheist" and I would definately be a "strong atheist."

Is it possible that my brother and I inherited our atheism? Or that we have the ability to think things through on our own?

Is anybody here related to other skeptics? Am I making something out of nothing? :huh:

[Sven]

Is anybody here related to other skeptics? Am I making something out of nothing? :huh:
I think it's the second option. At least on my mother's side, there are many pastors.

[Spanish_Inquisitor]

Is it possible that my brother and I inherited our atheism? Or that we have the ability to think things through on our own?

Is anybody here related to other skeptics? Am I making something out of nothing? :huh:
It's more probable that you were influenced subconsciously on a social and cultural level by the environment you were brought up in, which included skeptical relatives. I doubt that it is biological.

SI

[Enlighten Me]

I think you're onto something...It seems to me that people are "wired" to think in certain ways. A religious parent will exploit his child's innocence and trust in order to indoctrinate that child, but as the child matures, I think the child's inborn tendency to reflect on, and seek, truth, clarity, and integrity, through independent thought, may lead him/her to be resistant to perpetuating the status quo....

By the same token, I think people are wired to be believers. The difference is that society powerfully reinforces their "belief." It takes a great deal more courage, IMO, to be a freethinker.

[Ojuice5001]

I'm the oldest in a family of four, and independent thinking appears to run in the family. To wit:

I question Christianity, and instead of believing in it I form theories of polytheism. My spirituality is somewhat like that of a Christian, only the gods I worship are different from the God of Christianity.

My brother often seems like an exception to the "independent thinker" thesis. He's an independent thinker about...um, some things I'm sure, but not about religion or politics. But though I question how much of an independent thinker he is, he is certainly of high intelligence just like his siblings.

My sister thinks about about many things, especially artistic and social matters. She has not taken Christianity seriously since the age of eleven, and does not adhere to another religion either.

My youngest brother makes few explicit references to religion, but it's clear that he does not believe in it, or only very weakly. He is quite interested in science, which is surely a sign of rationalist leanings.

[BDS]

Cool. I speak English, and so do all of my relatives!

I think English-speaking may be a genetic trait.

[Godless Geek]

Cool. I speak English, and so do all of my relatives!

I think English-speaking may be a genetic trait.

:rolling:

Maybe this is a stupid topic, but I have wondered about it. Maybe my brother and I are atheists because we were not brainwashed as children. We started going to church when I was 7 years old and he was 5. This Jeebus person and this god thing did not make any sense to me at the innocent age of 7. (And it still doesn't make sense.) I think my parents encouraged me to question things and to try to understand them. I don't think they wanted me to question religion in the way that I do. But this is me.

[BDS]

Yes, Godless. The trait is probably "inherited" (just as language is), but not "genetic".

[Astreja]

No one in my immediate family attends any religious services, and it's been that way since I was a kid.

I think the "agnostic" gene is strongest on my dad's side of the family. One of my paternal cousins is definitely agnostic/weak atheist, and my dad has no interest in religion.

On my mom's side there's one very evangelical aunt and uncle, the only strong theists in the family. (Fortunately they live 1400 miles away and don't have my address or phone number.) I attended a handful of Sunday School classes when I was eight, but only because my best friend went. And my mother suggested that I take Anglican confirmation when I was eleven, but never pursued the matter.

[TruthPrevails]

#4 It seems to me that people are "wired" to think in certain ways.

Very true.
According to Howard Gardner, there is multiple intelligence amongst humans. Some are musical (the Mozarts,), Kinethestic (Michael Jordan), Logical-mathematical (Bertrand Russel), Artistic (Michael Angelo), etc. There are many other variations of intelligences and human inclinations.

Those who are highly inclined towards rationality and critical thinking plus being less emotional would have a high tendency to be skeptics naturally or will be easily influenced by parents, social or forums like IIDB.

The critical criteria of whether one will be religious is the sensitivity of one's amygdala, a walnut shaped organ in the brain. If the amydala is highly sensitive, it will override whatever rationality in a very sublimally way. This is the reason why we have God-Fearing scientists or mathematicians.