As a generally fulfilled and satisfied atheist whose life has meaning, I would argue my liberation from the transactional nature of doing good to earn a heavenly reward is more life-affirming and less anxiety-inducing. As we learn more about the influence of DNA and gene expression on personality and human behavior the concept of free will is increasingly complicated. Atheists make up only .01% of the prison population and so it seems to preclude the need for an organized faith system dictated by individuals since a perfect being does not exist in time and space and cannot possibly intercede in human events. Maybe the atheist intuitively recognizes the benefit of mutual investment and social connection and derives sufficient meaning from that.