I am now, and likely will remain, an atheist, a nonbeliever. Nevertheless, I am offended by a minority of atheists who disparage those who believe in God.
I use the word "God" to mean an entity that 1) is separate from everything, and 2) is capable of intervening in the natural course of the universe in general, and in human affairs in particular. The first condition prohibits equating God with everything that exists, otherwise, God's existence would trivially be true by definition. The second condition requires that the laws of physics (and nature in general) can be subjugated to God's will. (Note: I use the title God with the understanding that many religions use different names for the same concept, e.g., Allah, HaShem, Jehovah, etc.)
Humans have a strong innate desire to affiliate with a higher power. Indeed most societies throughout history have worshipped a creator and formed religions that gather others with common beliefs. There are scientific articles that propose humans, as a species, have a "religious gene" and/or have evolved with the benefit of a religious proclivity. It is not surprising that religions built around God have been so persistent in almost every culture around the world.
God is, in my belief system, a fantasy. But fantasies are beneficial to our collective well being. We enjoy fiction even though we know the emotions, the images, and introspection that fiction evokes do not describe real events in our environment. Fantasies can be even more powerful and motivating if we give them "life" by sincerely believing in them. Indeed stories and legends have been great motivators for as long as humans have had a spoken language.
Religions that paint a bright image of glorious heaven (or a similar paradise) after death can be especially comforting to believers. It would be cruel to try to dissuade any person from a belief that brings hope and comfort in difficult times. It can be comforting as well to ask a higher power for help when one's own resources are impotent.
My quarrels with religion arise when it is used by religious authorities to manipulate people to perform self-serving acts that are harmful to others or unnecessarily destructive to nature, or when it promotes divisive exclusionary behavior that condemns the value of competing religions. Religion can be a powerful motivator and therefore a powerful manipulator, for good and for evil.
The personal benefits of religion are available to atheists like me. Although I don’t believe that God chose to create me or to preordain and protect my existence, I feel a reverent connection to nature and the natural forces that created life on earth.
I am very fortunate that an uncountable number of small events occurred over billions of years to bring about my brief time on earth. Every minute movement of every particle on earth, every accidental encounter of a man and a woman, every daily decision made by hundreds of thousands of my ancestors over hundreds of thousands of years, has determined that I fortuitously appeared here on earth at this time. I am elated to have a small slice of consciousness for a brief time in the history of the universe.
Every day I feel I won the greatest lottery of all. An important consequence of this is that I am in awe of nature on earth and the harmony that perseveres in concert with the natural rhythms of the universe.
Religion, put to good use, fosters an appreciation of the wonderful workings of nature and makes us all better humans. Atheism coupled with kind actions and a deep appreciation of natural forces can confer the same benefits. The end result is a kinder, more peaceful, and more compassionate world.
Life after death? Take your pick. For me, over 13 billion years passed with no life before life; I will simply return to no life after death. That makes my time on earth even more precious. Treasure whatever beliefs make your time on earth, or depending on your religious affiliations, your afterlife, most comfortable.