Most debates between atheists and theists assume one thing: that belief is a choice. That we arrive at a fork in the road and say, “I’ll go with God,” or, “I’ll go without.” But is that really true?

A scientist has to be an atheist; that seems to be the pervading popular wisdom these days. Yahoos, snake handlers and Bible freaks are "true believers," but sober men and women of science can't ...