Topic: Does God want us to be happy?
Lazarus102's photo
Thu 02/16/23 02:49 AM
Edited by Lazarus102 on Thu 02/16/23 02:54 AM


The God Gene Hypothesis proposes that humanity's spiritual affiliation is hereditary and that a specific gene, called (VMAT2), prepares humans for spiritual affiliation or mysticism. The idea was proposed by geneticist Dean Hamer in his book The God Gene: How Faith is Hardwired in Our Genes. That is, how faith is built into our genes. The hypothesis is based on behavioral, neurobiological, and psychological genetic studies. He found that the genetic VMAT2 plays an important role in regulating brain activities associated with mystical beliefs.
Rowthorn concluded that nearly all people have a genetic predisposition toward religion, and although some will lean toward secularism, they will carry the religiosity gene with them.
The Quran says;
Certainly We have created human in distress. Have We not given him a pair of eyes? And a tongue and two lips. And We have shown him the two ways ˹of right and wrong˺.
Indeed, We guided him to the way, be he grateful or be he ungrateful.



Faith isn't in our genes, it's indoctrinated into us by society. Shut up and do what you're told. Don't talk back. Don't argue. Listen to your superiors. Yes you got that math problem right, but you didn't do it the way you were told, do it again. .etc.

Rote teaching methods, and societal conditioning by those in power. It's not "faith" it's the conditioning of people to operate within a pseudo slave society, in which a relative handful of people see any true benefits of all the work done.

Or are you going to suggest that I'm crazy for thinking this, while you're proposing the existence of a giant invisible magic man that decides the fate of all humanity.

Science figured out that certain survival based instincts were guided by biology, and then religion, gay haters, society based gender structures apologists, and people that feel shameful about how shallow they are when it comes to a person's physical appearance, despite that they're only like that because they were conditioned from an early age to only value a certain specific type of face.

All of these people decided to use that as an excuse to create a load of pseudo sciences, that dictate that our biology alone makes half our decisions for us. Which make for some extremely stupid hypotheses to come from a self aware species..

Your biology doesn't tell you to do anything when it comes to simple decision making, based on narratives we know nothing about before they're thrust upon us by our elders. And if you feel that you had no choice in decisions made, that's because societal pressures, coupled with personal experiences, made you feel that way.

I may not be free financially, but I'll not have my freedom of thought stolen by oppressive institutions. So if I want to believe in God, not believe in God, or use a Jesus cross to sodomize myself, that's my decisions to make, and biology got nothing to do with that. But for the record, I wouldn't do that last one; just sounds a bit painful. :grimacing:

LUNG1954's photo
Sat 02/18/23 04:56 AM
A study evaluated the VMAT2 gene expression in 1000 religious persons compared to 1000 non-religious.
It found that the more genes to be expressed, as well as the talented people being religious and belief in God and the hereafter will be even more. But the important thing is that, living environment and ecosystem of life and lifestyle affect the expression of this gene. In other words, with the performance and activity of the gene VMAT2, being religious in human beings is remarkable, but the lifestyle and living ecosystem can also increase or decrease the speed performance of these genes and play an important role.

JulieABush's photo
Sat 02/18/23 12:33 PM
We’ve strayed from the topic. Yes, God does want us to happy for those who believe in Him.

Lazarus102's photo
Sat 02/18/23 10:22 PM

A study evaluated the VMAT2 gene expression in 1000 religious persons compared to 1000 non-religious.
It found that the more genes to be expressed, as well as the talented people being religious and belief in God and the hereafter will be even more. But the important thing is that, living environment and ecosystem of life and lifestyle affect the expression of this gene. In other words, with the performance and activity of the gene VMAT2, being religious in human beings is remarkable, but the lifestyle and living ecosystem can also increase or decrease the speed performance of these genes and play an important role.



I don't know about you, but I'm no biologist, and I'd imagine that 99.999% of people that read that study, are also not biologists. Which makes for an easily decidable audience, given that no unbiased individual is present to corporate such findings.

But if I had to take a logical guess, I'd say that the presence of this gene, given the benefit of the doubt that it does exist; is more likely determined by the gullibility, of the individual, rather than of their religious status. Closed minded people that don't question what they're told if told by someone they view as a superior, as well as those more likely to accept simple answers, regardless of their factual validity, would be more likely to harbor that gene within that scenario. Or that they harbor that gene simply because they're happier. Ignorance is bliss after all. And reality is not a happy place these days. Which is made clear by the fact that so many grown adults have turned to a mutual imaginary friend, to talk to, and solve their worries.

 Ꮢ Ꭷ Ᏸ ɨ Ꮑ's photo
Sat 02/18/23 10:37 PM
Everything is within us, so the happiness...
God is also just like humans who had given the right preaching Moksha, Karma... Now it's up to YOU/WE, What we follow or believe..

LUNG1954's photo
Sun 02/19/23 12:05 AM
The Bible said:
“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?”
The Quran said:
“[God is] Creator of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you from yourselves, mates, and among the cattle, mates; He multiplies you thereby. There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.’’

LUNG1954's photo
Sun 02/19/23 12:11 AM
In Ephesians 1:18-19, Paul prayed for the Ephesians to comprehend how great God’s power was in their lives. In fact, he says the power is “incomparably great,” meaning that there is no power like it (v. 19). There is no power greater—not the atomic bomb, not love, not hate, nor anything else.

LUNG1954's photo
Sun 02/19/23 12:16 AM
THE LIMITLESS POWER OF GOD
October 7th, 2020 by Enrique Brooks

https://thryve.church/blog/2020/10/07/the-limitless-power-of-god#:~:text=God's%20power%20is%20limitless.,but%20God's%20power%20is%20limitless.

LUNG1954's photo
Sun 02/19/23 12:55 AM

A study evaluated the VMAT2 gene expression in 1000 religious persons compared to 1000 non-religious.
It found that the more genes to be expressed, as well as the talented people being religious and belief in God and the hereafter will be even more. But the important thing is that, living environment and ecosystem of life and lifestyle affect the expression of this gene. In other words, with the performance and activity of the gene VMAT2, being religious in human beings is remarkable, but the lifestyle and living ecosystem can also increase or decrease the speed performance of these genes and play an important role.



THE BIOLOGY OF RELATIONSHIPS: WHAT BEHAVIORAL GENETICS TELLS US ABOUT INTERACTIONS AMONG FAMILY MEMBERS
Laura A. Baker, Associate Professor
Human behavior is subject to genetic variations. The ways in which individuals differ in their intellectual abilities, personalities, and mental health are, to a large extent, functions of their inherited genetic predispositions. Decades of research on twins, adoptees, and families have led to the inescapable conclusion that most reliably measured psychological characteristics are influenced to some degree by genes. Behavior also shows signs of genetic influence; the way one experiences stressful life events, for example, shows some genetic influence. Even personal aspects of individuals, such as spirituality and political ideology, are affected to an extent by genes.1 It should come as no surprise, then, that genes influence the ways in which families function and how family members relate to one another.2 Familial relationships of all kinds—parent-child, sibling, and spousal—can be shown to be at least partially the product of genetic factors.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4685725/#:~:text=Human%20behavior%20is%20subject%20to,of%20their%20inherited%20genetic%20predispositions.

JulieABush's photo
Sun 02/19/23 03:37 AM
God is real to me and how dare anybody say otherwise. Like it or not He’s always listening but I don’t expect Him to answer at least because at least I know He doesn’t like to be provoked. Like the old Sunday School song “I’ve got the joy joy joy down in my heart”. Enough said.

Ɔʎɹɐx's photo
Wed 02/22/23 09:35 AM

God is real to me and how dare anybody say otherwise. Like it or not He’s always listening but I don’t expect Him to answer at least because at least I know He doesn’t like to be provoked. Like the old Sunday School song “I’ve got the joy joy joy down in my heart”. Enough said.

It would be much worse if god existed. Was watching the news of the earthquake that other day and watched How they removed a crashed dead body of a baby girl and thought: I would happily spit in the face of a god that sent an earthquake to kill this innocent baby and watched her dying in pain while he's laughing from above

JulieABush's photo
Wed 02/22/23 02:19 PM
God didn’t send the earthquake since they’re considered a natural disaster. The only disaster He sent was Noah’s flood and after that He promised He’d never send another one. So floods, tornadoes, hurricanes/cyclones and earthquakes are natural disasters.

Lazarus102's photo
Wed 02/22/23 10:23 PM

God didn’t send the earthquake since they’re considered a natural disaster. The only disaster He sent was Noah’s flood and after that He promised He’d never send another one. So floods, tornadoes, hurricanes/cyclones and earthquakes are natural disasters.


Having the power to stop disasters, and not using it, is the same as causing them. Same as turning a blind eye to evil is as bad as committing the act yourself.

JulieABush's photo
Thu 02/23/23 03:37 AM
True, but at least I don’t challenge what He does or doesn’t do.L you’re wasting your breath , I will stand strong in my faith and always believe in Him.

LUNG1954's photo
Thu 02/23/23 06:07 AM
Why does God allow natural disasters to occur?
This question has preoccupied many philosophers, thinkers, and clerics throughout the ages. Some clerics consider it a divine punishment for humans, if they disobey God or violate His orders or reject the prophets and messengers to them.
In the middle of the eighteenth century, earthquakes occurred in Peru, Chile, and Lisbon. The Lisbon earthquake was the most influential. It happened on All Saints' Day, when most of the population was in churches celebrating and singing religious hymns. The earthquake completely destroyed the city, including churches. The number of victims of this earthquake alone reached about 70,000, and it led to high waves from the sea that stormed the coasts of Portugal, Spain and France.
The questions asked at that time were: If this earthquake was an act of God, then how does it happen on the day, while the believers were gathered reciting religious songs and chanting supplications? Or are these disasters only natural phenomena?
The Scottish Thomas Gordon (1692-1750) said that natural disasters are phenomena whose causes are completely natural, and that they cannot be a divine punishment; ecause it does not distinguish between believers and non-believers.
As for the Catholic clergy, especially in South America, they viewed the earthquakes as a divine punishment for the corruption of people's morals, and for not following the teachings of the (Catholic) religion.
Voltaire (1694-1778); adopted Deism, which according to him means that God created laws for the world, and man must know them and conduct his affairs according to them. So natural disasters are part of nature alone. This is what Rousseau (1712-1778) concluded, as well as others.
Is it impossible for man to control the laws of nature?
Natural disasters continue. Each year there are thousands of earthquakes, large and small, and dozens of storms, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, and other violent phenomena.
No geologist claims that the earth's movements associated with earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis become more violent than before. It is scientifically certain that such incidents are repeated.
The authorities have recognized that human activities have made our environment more vulnerable to natural disasters and more vulnerable to them as well. In some developing countries, the increased need for food has led to deforestation. This leads to serious soil erosion. Another example is the drought in the African coast. It leads to starvation, and death. But is the famine in that region solely the result of a lack of water? The ongoing desertification of the coast is largely a human-caused phenomenon. . .
Studies have shown that deaths from natural disasters are much higher in the poorer nations than in the richer nations of the world. For example, from 1960 to 1981, there were 43 earthquakes and other disasters in Japan that killed 2,700 people, with an average of 63 fatalities for each disaster. In the same period, 31 disasters occurred in Peru resulting in 91,000 deaths, or 2,900 per disaster. Why the difference? Answer: Human social, economic, and political activity should take responsibility for the huge difference in the loss of life and the destruction of property.
Another example; it is well known that the coastal delta of Bangladesh is constantly threatened by floods and tsunamis. Nevertheless, millions of Bangladeshis continue to live there. The result is repeated disasters and hundreds of thousands of deaths.
Did God command the Bangladeshis not to work to avoid danger or not to move away from it?
In return, the Japanese learned how to make earthquakes pass with minimal losses. In 2022, Japan experienced eight earthquakes of magnitude five or greater. One of them was of 7.3 degree, cutting electric power of two million homes but killing only two people.

Lazarus102's photo
Fri 02/24/23 08:25 PM
Edited by Lazarus102 on Fri 02/24/23 08:26 PM
Not sure that human social activity had anything to do with it, but I agree on political and economic activity.

Problem is, the people have basically no power over what the corporations/gov do, since only majority shareholders, and wealthy campaign backers have any external control over what government and corporations do (short of forming a mass rebellion/civil war).

The only other external force that has any power over those institutions, is religion, which has chosen to take a spectator position when it comes to such things. I'm sure all the tax breaks and such that they get doesn't have anything to do with it.. :unamused:

LUNG1954's photo
Sat 02/25/23 04:48 AM
Religion serves several functions for society. These include (a) giving meaning and purpose to life, (b) reinforcing social unity and stability, (c) serving as an agent of social control of behavior, (d) promoting physical and psychological well-being, and (e) motivating people to work for positive social change.

https://open.lib.umn.edu/sociology/chapter/17-3-sociological-perspectives-on-religion/#:~:text=Religion%20serves%20several%20functions%20for,work%20for%20positive%20social%20change.

Contemporary examples of theocracies include Afghanistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Mauritania, a small country in the western North Africa, is an Islamic republic with a theocratic government and Vatican City. All other countries are with non-religion governments.

The top Total Wealth Countries in 2021 were; America, China, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, France, India, Canada, Italy, Australia etc. All of them are non-religions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_total_wealth


LUNG1954's photo
Mon 02/27/23 01:01 AM
“The fury of nature seemed to cause the institutions on which our society is based – those of government, commerce, and civil society – to crumble. First responders appeared overwhelmed as accounts of widespread looting, vandalism, theft, assault, and murder headlined newspapers and as the images of our fellow citizens literally swimming for their lives appeared on television and computer screens. The slow and seemingly inept responses of government at all levels both in preparation for and recovery from the storm infuriated Americans.” (Chamlee-Wright & Rothschild,)
The fury of nature followed by the fury of citizens railing at government ineptitude – in this case, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina – is a disturbingly familiar scenario. The frequency of public dissatisfaction with government response to major disasters raises two important questions for the well-being of our republic: “Is public fury justified?” and, perhaps more importantly, “Is railing at government the best approach to ensuring effective action in the next disaster?” This lesson examines contemporary expectations of government in the wake of disaster and the prevailing assumption that only government is big enough to deal with major disasters by first looking at those tasks that government does well. Then, we will turn our attention to when and why government is unlikely to meet our expectations.

https://www.fte.org/teachers/teacher-resources/lesson-plans/disasterslessons/lesson-3-when-disaster-strikes-what-can-government-do/

LUNG1954's photo
Tue 03/07/23 03:19 AM

God is real to me and how dare anybody say otherwise. Like it or not He’s always listening but I don’t expect Him to answer at least because at least I know He doesn’t like to be provoked. Like the old Sunday School song “I’ve got the joy joy joy down in my heart”. Enough said.


God listens to every human being, even if he is an infidel
Whoever asks God whether he is a believer or unbeliever God may answer his prayer. The unbelievers ask God for sustenance, so He provides for them, and when harm afflicts them in the sea, they call on God, but when He delivered them to the land, they turned away, ungrateful. God answers the supplication of the one in need and the supplication of the oppressed, even if he is an infidel. But not everyone whose supplication God answers means that God is loving him, or satisfied with his action. God spared Pharaoh's body after he believed while he was drowning in the sea.
When Prophet Musa and the believers went with him on their migration, Pharaoh and his soldiers followed him to kill them, and on the way of migration the sea intercepted them, so God honored His Prophet Musa and those with him by making the sea dry for them, so they crossed it. So Pharaoh and those with him followed them, but they drowned in the same sea.
‘’But as he (Pharaoh) was drowning he cried out: '(Now) I believe that there is no god except He in whom the Children of Israel believe. I am of those that surrender.’’ Quran.
God wanted the body of Pharaoh to appear on the beach, so that his people and those who worshiped him could see it, and that would be more informative in establishing a lesson for them. The Quran said: ‘’We shall deliver you Pharaoh (Ramsis II) with your body this day, so that you may be a sign to those after you. Indeed many people pay no heed to Our signs!”
It is believed that the body of Pharaoh is still preserved today in some Egyptian museums.


no photo
Fri 03/17/23 05:19 PM
Psalm 144:15. Yes God wants us to be happy. There are several scriptures telling us so. Do a search online.