Is religion a malicious lie caused by a virus of the mind? A growing movement led by scientists, authors and other intellectuals certainly thinks so. And they claim the facts support them, citing in particular the theory of evolution and its implicit agnosticism.

But are they right? Would society be better off if it rejected God and turned instead to a rationalist basis for law and ethics? In a word, no. In his new book, The God Imperative, author Dave Dentel exposes point by point the falsehoods behind the new atheists' arguments, including:

Science and the...