One way that atheism is a consoling delusion is in claiming that the individual can find meaning/purpose. Yes, the universe is meaningless/purposeless but the individual can find their own. Of course, the individual must find their own because there is no intrinsic meaning/purpose. Therefore, it is precisely because there is no objective meaning/purpose that the atheist must find subjective meaning/purpose. As to why anything should be thought to be wrong with that, I would allow Joseph Stalin to answer you since he found his own brand of subjective meaning/purpose in a universe of objective meaninglessness/purposelessness.
In 2008 AD a debate took place at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst between Louise Antony and William Lane Craig which was entitled “Is God Necessary for Morality?” (audio: Part 1, Part 2).
At 19:47 into part 2, the following exchange took place:
Louise Antony: “If I were to sacrifice my life for my children, as I hope I would have the courage to do, the only thing that would make it insignificant is if my children’s lives are insignificant. And boy, you better not say that.”
William Lane Craig: “But Louise, on atheism they are insignificant.”
Louise Antony: “Not to me!”
William Lane Craig: “We’re all…no, not to you but that’s just subjective.”
Louise Antony: “Sorry. It’s an objective fact.”
William Lane Craig: “Yeah, to you…”
Louise Antony: “…a fact…objective fact that they are significant to me.”
There was some cross talking and so the above transcript attempts orderliness. Also note that there was great laughter from the audience as well as some chortles from the debaters.
Certainly, it is difficult to argue against a mother bear’s instinct for protecting her cubs. However, she is conceding that her children only have significance to her. They have no intrinsic significance and so their, our, only significance comes from how other people view us. A terrorist may view her children as insignificant and so they are. Or perhaps may view them as significant to the terrorist’s own ends and so they are.
To state that something is “objective…to me” is oxymoronic since the very point of objectivity is that it has no individual ownership, it does not pertain to the realm of preference, rather it is what it is regardless of what we think or how we feel about it.
Have you ever had someone, particularly a perfect stranger, show you photos of their family, their kids? What is your reaction? You might think that they are a handsome bunch or just so cute but since we have no emotional bond to them, photos of strangers soon become boring to us. They have no subjective meaning to us and yet, if you saw a child, who was a perfect stranger, walking across the street while a car was hurdling towards them you would jump to save them even if it cost you your health and life. This is because they have objective meaning, the very meaning that atheism denies exists.
For another essay on an aspect of this debate see the following: