For years I have been collecting articles on genetic explanations for various abnormalities. Some are behavior related (eating too much), and some are disease related (prostate and breast cancer). In each case, however, the genetic cause is viewed as undesirable. Extraordinary measures and funding are recommended to fix the flaws. When scientists say they had discovered a “fat gene,” “the finding was hailed by other researchers as pointing to a day when drugs might correct imbalances that cause some people to be hounded by food cravings and extra pounds while others remain lean.”[1] If the cause of fatness is genetic, as homosexuals claim is true of their “orientation,” then why the elation over the fat-gene discovery? If you’re fat, it’s not your fault. Anyone who proposes that a fat person should get thin, considering homosexual logic, is “fatophobic.” Here are some other examples of gene-related conditions:

  • “A genetic double-whammy rarely found in whites dramatically increases the risk of congestive heart failure in blacks.”
  • “Scientists say they have found a gene that predicts whether prostate cancer will develop into its most lethal form.”
  • “Researchers at McGill University in Montreal have discovered the gene that causes a devastating neurological disorder that is found almost exclusively among families along Quebec’s North Shore.”
  • “A research team at two Mideast universities has developed a new way to genetically alter cells in living mice; offering new possibilities in the war against cancer and other diseases.”[2]
  • “Some of us, it seems, were just born to be bad. Scientists say they are on the verge of pinning down genetic and biochemical abnormalities that predispose their bearers to violence. An article in the journal Science . . . carried the headline EVIDENCE FOUND FOR POSSIBLE ‘AGGRESSION’ GENE.”[3]
  • “Apparently healthy men with normal weight and cholesterol levels are at three times higher risk of a heart attack if they have a common variation of a particular gene, researchers say.”[4]
  • “Salk Institute scientists say they have uncovered a gene that triggers certain forms of Leukemia, a discovery that may lead to the development of a screening test within the next few months.”[5]
  • “Researchers have found a brain chemical that boosts the craving for fat—and a way to block it without affecting the appetite for healthier foods.”[6]
  • “Why do gamblers often bet more after a losing hand? Or investors throw good money after bad? The answer may lie in the science of the brain.”[7]
  • “Is racism simply human nature or something learned from society? Neither, says a team of psychologists who, despite criticism, argue that racism represents an accidental side effect of evolution.”[8]
  • A recent article published in The Sciences, a New York Academy of Science magazine, stated that “rape is a ‘natural, biological’ phenomenon, springing from men’s evolutionary urge to reproduce.”[9]

Biological determinism rules the day. Of course, this is to be expected since every major university doing research has bought into the myth of Darwinism. How else can these bought-and-paid-for research scientists explain behavior? There are no conceptions of reality outside of biology. Sin? The fall of mankind? Self-government? Self-determination? What are these? All behavior has to be biological in origin given the underlying assumptions of evolution.

There’s nothing new in any of this. Remnants of a theistic worldview have kept evolutionists from being truly consistent. The scientists who claim that rape is a “‘natural, biological’ phenomenon”[10] concede that “rapists are responsible for rape and should be punished.” But why? How does the evolutionist account for morality given his materialistic presuppositions? Biological determinism makes people uncomfortable. They see it “as a threat to free will and personal responsibility, citing headlines like “MAN’S GENES MADE HIM KILL, HIS LAWYERS CLAIM. Behavioral geneticists are sometimes picketed, censored or compared with Nazis.”[11]

Endnotes:

[1] Jeff Nesmith, “Dieters’ dream: Gene to control fat found,” Atlanta Constitution (December 1, 1994), C1. [2] These four examples were taken from the “Science News” section of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (October 10, 2002), A9. [3] Dennis Overbye, “Born to Raise Hell?,” Time (February 21, 1994), 76. [4] Amanda Huted, “Gene variant could mean higher risk of heart attack,” Atlanta Journal/Constitution (October 15, 1992), C3. [5] “Gene discovery could lead to leukemia screening test,” Atlanta Journal/Constitution (October 3, 1992), E8. [6] Tim Friend, “Brain chemical may feed craving for fat,” USA Today (October 29, 1992), 1A.
[7] Faye Flam, “Study: Reckless gambler, blame your brain,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (March 22, 2002), A18. [8] Dan Vergano, “Racism may have evolutionary link,” USA Today (December 11, 2001), 11. [9] Dan Vergano, “‘Natural, biological’ theory of rape creates instant storm,” USA Today (January 28, 2000), 8D.
[10] Vergano, “‘Natural, biological’ theory of rape creates instant storm,” 8D.
[11] Steven Pinker, “Are Your Genes to Blame?,” Time (January 20, 2003), 99.