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THE GOD GENE

I was in a video group call with friends when one shared how our common friend is not vaccinated because he was afraid it will remove his God gene.

“The what?” I asked.

“The God gene---the gene that makes us look for God. The vaccine will kill it.”

I have encountered different reasons why people don’t want to be vaccinated but this was the first time I’ve heard about this one. I became more alarmed when our common friend quoted his pastor so I looked it up. There were very few search results with none coming from trusted organizations. Most were simply blogs which may not necessarily be bad (like mine haha) but it is the dearth of scientifically-accepted materials that makes preaching about this from the pulpit dangerous.

Now, I am no person of science so it was a bit of a struggle for me to understand and of course, gauge for myself so I am approaching it from something I do know and understand---the Bible.

“The God gene refers to the idea that human spirituality has an innate genetic component to it. It doesn’t mean that there’s one gene that makes people believe in God, but it refers to the fact that humans inherit a predisposition to be spiritual–to reach out and look for a higher being.”

Supporters are afraid that COVID-19 vaccines can remove “the soul with pharmaceuticals.” They don’t mean this literally (I hope) but what they are saying is that the God gene is what makes a person seek God. So without it, people are doomed for hell. Romans 2:4 says that it is God’s kindness---and not a gene---that makes us seek Him. If it really boils down to a gene, who needs the Holy Spirit to convict people of sin?

Its chief proponent says it explains “why some people (have) more aptitude for spirituality than others,” claiming that “Buddha, Muhammad and Jesus all shared a series of mystical experiences or alterations in consciousness and thus probably carried the gene.”

This reduces Jesus to a mere man with a gene that just can’t help being spiritual. This consequently makes our Savior a fraud and a lunatic for believing that He is God. (If his God gene caused Him to perform miracles and rise from the dead, does this mean we can as well?)

Believing in the God gene suggests an unfair God because it is our DNA that is making us reject His offer of salvation. And who created our DNA? God.

My fellow believers, if you don’t want to take the vaccine, may it be for a different reason other than the God gene lest we put ourselves under a curse as this is bordering to a distortion of the gospel of Christ (Galatians. 1:6-9, ESV):

“(There) are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed."

I was in a video group call with friends when one shared how our common friend is not vaccinated because he was afraid it will remove his God gene.

“The what?” I asked.

“The God gene---the gene that makes us look for God. The vaccine will kill it.”

I have encountered different reasons why people don’t want to be vaccinated but this was the first time I’ve heard about this one. I became more alarmed when our common friend quoted his pastor so I looked it up. There were very few search results with none coming from trusted organizations. Most were simply blogs which may not necessarily be bad (like mine haha) but it is the dearth of scientifically-accepted materials that makes preaching about this from the pulpit dangerous.

Now, I am no person of science so it was a bit of a struggle for me to understand and of course, gauge for myself so I am approaching it from something I do know and understand---the Bible.

“The God gene refers to the idea that human spirituality has an innate genetic component to it. It doesn’t mean that there’s one gene that makes people believe in God, but it refers to the fact that humans inherit a predisposition to be spiritual–to reach out and look for a higher being.”

Supporters are afraid that COVID-19 vaccines can remove “the soul with pharmaceuticals.” They don’t mean this literally (I hope) but what they are saying is that the God gene is what makes a person seek God. So without it, people are doomed for hell. Romans 2:4 says that it is God’s kindness---and not a gene---that makes us seek Him. If it really boils down to a gene, who needs the Holy Spirit to convict people of sin?

Its chief proponent says it explains “why some people (have) more aptitude for spirituality than others,” claiming that “Buddha, Muhammad and Jesus all shared a series of mystical experiences or alterations in consciousness and thus probably carried the gene.”

This reduces Jesus to a mere man with a gene that just can’t help being spiritual. This consequently makes our Savior a fraud and a lunatic for believing that He is God. (If his God gene caused Him to perform miracles and rise from the dead, does this mean we can as well?)

Believing in the God gene suggests an unfair God because it is our DNA that is making us reject His offer of salvation. And who created our DNA? God.

My fellow believers, if you don’t want to take the vaccine, may it be for a different reason other than the God gene lest we put ourselves under a curse as this is bordering to a distortion of the gospel of Christ (Galatians. 1:6-9, ESV):

“(There) are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed."

Author

Elizabeth Ong

Elizabeth Ong is an author, lecturer, an app creator, and a businesswoman. She has a master's degree in Biblical Studies from Asian Theological Seminary.