I see. I will say that true Christians are not saved because they want stuff out of it but so God gets the glory out of it. But Christianity does really comform people because God is real. If you don't agree with that then I see how you could still think it was beneficial, as did Benjamin Franklin. Franklin was a deist but he wanted religion everywhere because people acted better when George Whitefield converted them. This made God's existence likely.
On the dogma you mentioned, you can't say to your son "live your life however you want, I'm not going to guide you or parent you." In the same way, God can't say to his creation "Do whatever." He tells them to obey him. He is the best parent I could ask for, and unlike my earthly father he has never made a single mistake.
I too, as an atheist, agree with reservations. Religious belief can be beneficial in circumstances where someone is grieving, afraid, or simply needs to make some sense out of life. But for many people it is not necessary, even in those circumstances. We all have our ways of dealing with adversity.
Meanwhile, the dogma which often accompanies religion and tries to dictate how people should live there lives is often downright disastrous. So a balance needs to be found.