I am not an atheist. I do not debate on the existence of a god, because it is a matter of faith, and faith exists.
I like to go to temples, churches, gurdwaras, and other places of worship. They always have a story to tell, and a history to ponder upon. What I would like to question is the act we perform after we go into a place of worship. We bow our heads, we kneel, we perform an act of submission. The practice was developed presumably to develop in man a degree of humbleness. But does this act really achieve what it was meant to? I do not see the proof of that in the world around me! People go to temples and churches, feel a relief to lay the burden of their actions at the feet of a higher power and leave without finding a shred of dignity. It is easy to bow down, and ask the lord for forgiveness. It is easy to ask for blessings and miracles and demand one favor in exchange for another ( which we decide is what God wants)! It has become easy to act humble. It has become easy to give up.
What I feel we need in our world today is pride. It is difficult to stand in front of God, with a sense of pride in our accomplishments, if you have none. It is tough to be self sufficient, to need nothing but independence, to want nothing but satisfaction, to crave nothing but perfection. It is tough to believe in a higher power and yet ask for nothing, wish for nothing that you haven't earned. For then, you wouldn't need a God.
So when a child takes his first steps, teach him not how to bow down. Teach him to stand up in storms and weather them, show him the power that comes with self-belief, show him the strength that comes with perseverance. So when the time comes that he takes a fall, and has to believe in a higher power to make things right, he need only look to himself.