"It is far more arrogant to pray"

I dunno, I think it can have benefits: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-find-one-source-of-prayers-

Religion also offers genuine social cohesion; real communities with individuals working for the common good and being rewarded by being part of a group. Us primates are very social animals, and secular society tends not to offer people the same benefits of community in this day and age as we don't come together under the banner of a single cause. It's why many politicians are failures; Thatcher wasn't bright enough to realise it mattered although she understood all to well that destroying communities destroys collective will. This disunity has allowed capitalism to ruin rampant and (here in the UK) made the return to Victorian working practices very likely.

There's a lesson religion can teach is all right there.