Whether it's forced or not is tough to say, but it certainly is very important to reach a decision on. Since free will is practical and viable, and there are no strong logical and metaphysical proofs against it, atheists seem entitled to believe in it. James has a more convincing argument based upon the great hope that the belief in God provides. I will first look at what is positive about theism, and then I will try to explain what might not be so positive about it after all. I will get to atheism both in the process of this discussion and more directly in the next section.
Theism provides hope and security, among other things.
God is benevolent and is in charge of the world, a notion that offers a great deal of goodness to one's world-view. God is personal and that notion combats human loneliness. God is also forgiving, and that notion combats guilt and regret. Maybe most of all, the belief in God usually entails the belief in a decent afterlife for us when we die, which combats the pervasive human fear of death. That is an extremely attractive theory for all of the pragmatic things that it offers.