Anthropologists have noted that in essentially every culture during every time period, societies have developed some form of religion. Many worshipped man-made gods such as idols or natural items such as the sun, moon, or stars, but they all acknowledged some form of a higher power or deity that had some influence over their lives.
In some circles, scientists have coined the phrase the “God gene” to identify that this desire to believe in a higher power or be “spiritual” is genetic – that it is built into our DNA.
Science goes on to explain that this built in tendency to believe is a result of evolution. Basically, what they say is that over a long period of time, the “spiritual” people who believed in a higher power were more likely to be more optimistic which lead to them being healthier which allowed them to live longer and have more children, thus their genes would become more dominant in society. While many people (Christians and non-Christians) don’t agree with this concept, I find it reassuring that God has hard-wired us to have the desire to seek out spiritual things – including a relationship with our Creator. Perhaps this is part of what it means for us to be created in the “image of God”?
I think the church intuitively understands this concept. We refer to those who are not in a relationship with God as being “lost” or “seekers”. These terms imply that people are looking for or longing for something they haven’t found yet. Our job is to help them sort out all the conflicting information and discover the Truth. This is not an easy task. There are so many false trails and false teachings that even well meaning Christians have been diverted from what is really real. Our imperfect understanding and sinful tendencies can make us create God in our own image, and make Bible verses say what we want them to say. So we need to be on our guard, test our understanding of what we think God wants us to do, seek the wisdom and counsel of other mature believers, and sometimes take a step back if it seems we are heading off in a direction that is different than everyone else.
This desire to seek out spiritual things doesn’t always lead us to God, especially if people do not have someone close to them to lead them to the Truth. Often people are led in the wrong direction. Many cults make skilful use of manipulating our desire to be spiritual into a devout following of a charismatic leader. They promise answers to our spiritual questions while frequently emptying our bank accounts. Sometimes, the desire to be spiritual results in people placing trust in unusual places.
One interesting fictional example that comes to mind is from the TV series the X-Files. I was a big fan of this show as its primary focus was on things that were unexplainable using conventional science. The lead character, Fox Mulder, was convinced that aliens existed and were responsible for many of the unexplained phenomena he investigated. One of the famous props from the show was a poster that had the title “I Want to Believe” and pictured a UFO.
If you followed the show, you would understand why Fox wanted to believe in aliens. He believed that his sister was abducted by aliens when they were younger, and his hope was that one day, she would be returned to him unharmed. He wanted to believe in aliens because this gave him hope – hope that his sister was alive and well, and that she might return to him someday.
Many people approach religion in much the same way – they want to believe because it gives them hope about the after-life – that all their friends and family members who have died are being taken care of and they will meet again someday. At the same time, many people refuse to believe in God because they don’t want to accept everything that comes with it – eternal life in heaven or hell. Like an ostrich putting their head in the sand, they keep ignoring their inner longing to be in a relationship with their Creator, and they ignore any signs or evidence that points towards God. We need to get to know these people, and help them find their way.
So how about you? Have you found your way? Was there someone specific in your life that helped you discover the truth? Do you agree that God has implanted in us the desire to be in relationship with Him?
Jac
