There are a lot of myths and misconceptions surrounding bats. A lot of these fears probably stemmed from a bats facial expressions like when they bare their teeth when they are scarred and trying to look threatening. Rabies has also been a big factor in a bats 'bad rap'. Bats can contract rabies just as you or I or other animals can, however, most bats are not rabid as rumor has it. He also mentions that most statistics about rabid bats are due to sampling biases.
Most labs test only bats that are submitted because they are rabies-suspect.
With all of this in mind, though, it is still not safe to handle any wildlife. If you have concerns about a particular animal, contact a professional before attempting to handle the animal. Some species of bats require specific roosting and hibernating conditions, and with the loss of these conditions will be the loss of that species. It is very important that we help bat conservationist. Bats are good indicators to our environmental quality.