Genes contribute to religious inclination
  Barry le Roux

The genetic make-up of some people is exactly inclined to make them conducive to the influences of religion. Very similar to the fact that some people are and some are not conducive to succumb to hypnotism. Professor Julian Jaynes has found in his research studies on "the breaking down of the bi-cameral mind" (some 3000 yrs ago) that many people still have vestiges of the tendency to still desire (subconsciously) the guidance of an external authority, be it a god(s) or representatives of him or them. In extreme cases this tendency will be manifested as schizophrenia in varying degrees. Yes this is the influence of genetics. Memetics (from Richard Dawkins) is the cultural influences eg religious upbring, traditions, etc (even artifacts and other utility objects, such as books containing knowledge) being passed on through generations. Fact is that it is all in the mind: Hardware (brain) which is inherited and the software (contents) which is acquired and installed.

 Refer  Dean Hamer's book "The God Gene" - How faith is hardwired into our genes. The point that worries me is like Dr David Eller says in his book "Atheism Advanced" that we generally speak the parlance ("the language of god")  which gives religion recognition which it does not deserve or earn. For example the "god" gene in genetics, the "god" particle in physics (the boson) , etc.  Fact is that these phenomena and attributes have nothing really to do with a god but which are somehow  artificially associated with god (which is the language religious people want to hear). 

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