Further Dawkins explores how far the analogy between memes and genes could be stretched:

“We must not think of genes as conscious, purposeful agents. Blind natural selection, however, makes them behave rather as if they were purposeful, and it has been convenient, as a shorthand, to refer to genes in the language of purpose”.

For instance let us go back to the title of his book: “The Selfish Gene.” When we read the word ‘selfish” we understand it in relation to the way we think of persons being selfish. However, genes are not conscious, purposeful agents, and the same is with memes. Memes are not purposeful agents. It only seems they are purposeful because of the way they get propagated. As Dawkins clarifies it, it has been convenient as a shorthand to refer to genes in the language of purpose:

“… genes are trying to increase their numbers in future gene pools, what we really mean is those genes that behave in such a way as to increase their numbers in future gene pools tend to be the genes whose effects we see in the world”.

Further there are other memes to assist the god meme. Those memes are associated with religious art, discourses of religious leaders etc: “Some memes become associated with one another and this association assists the survival of each of the participating memes”. The idea here is of the meme complex. Several memes would fortify each other and would give rise to a meme complex so that that the meme complex goes on to become a powerful one.

Dawkins cites the example of the meme of eternal punishment: “an aspect of doctrine that has been very effective in enforcing religious observance is the threat of hell fire.”  This is a meme that only fortifies the idea of a god who gets angry and sends us to hell. So the meme of god and the meme of hell fire together are associated and they assist each other and become part of a powerful ‘god meme complex'. As Dawkins remarks: “This is a peculiarly nasty technique of persuasion, causing great psychological anguish throughout the middle ages and even today.  But it is highly effective”. Further, “The idea of hell fire is, quite simply, self perpetuating , because of its own deep psychological impact.  It has become linked with the god meme because the two reinforce each other, and assist each other's survival in the meme pool”.