Genetics and Religion
Scientists say they have found genetic evidence of the Crusaders’ presence in the Middle East:
The researchers found that some Christian men in Lebanon carry a DNA signature hailing from Western Europe.
The scientists also found that Lebanese Muslim men were more likely than Christians to carry a particular genetic signature. But this one is linked to expansions from the Arabian Peninsula which brought Islam to the area in the 7th and 8th Centuries.
But they emphasise that the differences between the two communities are minor, and that Christians and Muslim Arabs in Lebanon overwhelmingly share a common heritage.
In my opinion, the most interesting thing about that finding is the implication that, even after thirteen or fourteen centuries of people from different religions living in close contact with each other, the tendency of people to adopt the religion of their parents remains strong enough that there is genetic evidence of their allegiance.
Doesn’t that correspondence speak pretty strongly against the idea that people practice a religion because it conforms to Ultimate Truth and for the idea that they practice a religion because it’s how they were indoctrinated as children?
Interesting article. I agree - religious parents have been brainwashing their children for centuries.