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 weakness of evolution: How Darwinism fails because it can't account for life origins, describe a mechanism for evolutionary change, or explain human consciousness. It certainly can't prove God is a hoax. On the contrary, new scientific evidence points toward design.
Free will and the problem of evil: Calling religion evil actually points to a bigger problem, accounting for why the notion of fairness and justice even exist. Morality must come from a transcendent source, otherwise systems of right and wrong are just opinions. Much of what is evil in the world, then, is a result of how human beings abuse their free will.
Historic failures of secularism: Abortion, human trafficking, child exploitation and other ills show that secular morals favored by the new atheists actually cause major problems for society. Similarly, completely godless regimes of the recent past have yielded humanity's worst atrocities.
Perils of the new atheist agenda: Setting themselves up as arbiters of morality, the new atheists favor crafting a liberal nanny state where civil liberties extend only as far as the "experts" allow. Parents, for example, could be barred from providing their children religious instruction on the grounds that such teaching constitutes "child abuse."
In short, The God Imperative is a must-read for anyone who wishes to resist atheism with the truth that can only be found through faith.
