Excuse me, Little aHawk, I beg to differ. I don't "worship" anything. You posted: Then you have the modern atheist. He {or she, adds the pedant} practices a somewhat new religion, based on different perceptions of reality...and he worships ideals and "gods" that make sense to him. In doing so, he stands upon what makes HIM feel secure in an insecure World. What makes him feel secure may be: his own individuality (rugged individualism), his survival skills, his ego, money, property, reputation, fame, acquired knowledge, a law degree, etc....ad infinitum.
He is actually worshipping some of the "false gods" pointed to in many religious texts, but he doesn't realize it, that's all.
Everybody is religious in their own peculiar way.
I am not religious in any way. I have ideals - I don't worship them. I do not feel secure in an insecure world, and that's OK with me. I accept the insecurity. I accept the place of people in the scheme of the natural world, and that isn't at the top of any evolutionary ladder. I don't follow any gods, not even false ones. And I think I'm about as modern as an atheist can be.