According to a recent Washington Post article, molecular geneticist Dean Hamer claims to have found the genetic basis for spirituality. The findings were based on a study of DNA samples and interviews from 2000 volunteers. Hamer discovered that a gene called VMAT2, dubbed "The God Gene," was significantly more common in deeply religious people. Atheists, on the other hand, seemed to lack the gene.
Hamer does not believe his research undermines faith in God. On the contrary, "Religious believers can point to the existence of God genes as one more sign of the Creator's ingenuity - a clever way to help humans acknowledge and embrace a divine presence," he said.