I think it also has something to do no inherent meaning in an atheist's life. An atheist has to struggle with the question, 'does my life have a meaning?' while the theist get's to jumpn right to 'what is the meaning of my life, as dictated by god?'
Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own - Bertrand Russell