I don't think those two scenarios can be compared to one another. When done correctly, believing in God yields no negative consequences.
Well, okay, so I'm not saying believing in God has a negative consequence, but I am saying that...a better metaphor is Russell's teapot. Essentially, if you claim that God exists, then by the same logic you have no problem believing me if I tell you that a teapot is floating between Mars and Earth.
Haha, that's a very funny metaphor. But to be honest, I don't have a problem admitting that that's possible. However, I do feel as if my belief in God is based in evidence. That evidence being the impact on people's life when you can tell they're a godly person, or even all the nature around us. I accredit that to God's doing, and so that's my proof. Whether you believe it's credible proof is up to you. For me however, it's convincing.