Christians believe in ***, & this *** exists & has always existed. He is perfect & all-powerful, & atheists believe in their ***, themselves, who are finite & full of flaws (just like the rest of us). Atheists, IMO, are some of the most arrogant people on the face of the earth, & they have produced THE most horrific mass murderers the world has ever seen, particularly under the guise of communism (their favorite political system, it seems). They are NOT "enlightened"; in fact, quite the opposite.
Man has 3 main means for perceiving their environment: empiricism, faith & rationalism. Since atheists have determined that they have no faith, that would mean they are less likely to have a holistic basis for perceiving the world around them. They cannot see things that the majority of their fellow humans see, but instead of searching for the answer to this conundrum, they begin a futile attempt to elevate themselves above the "ordinary masses" whom they believe to be "delusional", just as a bully whose feelings of inferiority cause him to lash out at the weaker people around him. A free thinker would actually see this lack of perception as a challenge to overcome, not as something to cover up & then try to bully those who ARE truly "enlightened".