citizenK said it best, above:
"Atheists benefit from the stability to society that religious organization affords. This is isn’t a Judeo-Christian thing either - ancient Greeks and Romans who were polytheists found the same benefit to organizing their religion. In the the ancient context, individuals would belong to a specific temple, which served as a support network for the other aspects of their lives - business/commerce, art and culture, politics and warfare. I saw the Rabbi makes these comments, and he was citing the fact that human beings appear to be hardwired to seek religious affiliation - it provides basic meaning to the other aspsects of life mentioned above."
In other words, atheists are to society and religion what biker gangs are to society and technology: they like to act like they’re outlaws and brave go-it-alone folks, but, in reality, they would shrivel and die without the support afforded by the products of society, in the bikers’ case, gasoline, alcohol, motorcycles, electricity, etc.