What is the logic in "life after death"?

[Fake Messiah]

OK I know that you'll say that logic and religion don't go together but there must be something that religious people use to rationalize this very central reason why most of them bother with religion.
So, what would be the point of creating this world only to test people here to see if they'll go to heaven or hell? Looking at popular belief (and not strictly the scriptures) of who goes where : the killers, thieves, gluttonous and rapists get denied of heaven and are sentenced to hell - but why? Because when you get to heaven you are immortal and if you can't die - nobody can kill you; if everybody has everything - why bother stealing?; if you don't have to eat because you're a ghost and already dead - so what if you were gluttonous?; and if everybody is lacking genitals then nobody can rape anybody.
What am I missing here? Does anyone have an answer to this?

Perhaps there could be made a case that this construction of life after death is damaging to society because it gives felons some sort of supernatural dimension of evil and therefore society is reluctant to help not only to renovate these people but make society a better place. If we take that most crime is driven by poverty, injustice and least of all mental illness then in better societies there is less crime.

[The Industrial Atheist]

It seems obvious to me at least that the afterlife was purposely designed to seem irrefutable. You have to die to see it, so its not like anybody can come back from death to say "It's totally not like that!."

[Edwardo Piet]

There is no logic to it.

If we die and we continue life in another form... that isn't even an "afterlife" that's a continuation of life in another form. You only live once still applies even to "life after death".

Life after death makes no sense either. If life continues you aren't really dead yet.

[Alex K]

I find your second paragraph a bit incoherent and am frankly not sure what the contradiction or illogical part is which you want to highlight. Are you answering the question, and how do the following statements relate to it?

[Nonpareil]

So, what would be the point of creating this world only to test people here to see if they'll go to heaven or hell?

Carrot and stick.

You dismiss it out of hand in your opening post, but the truth is that for the vast majority of believers, there isn't a rationalization for it. It's simply what they grow up believing. Any justification for it is entirely post hoc and doesn't really go into why the system would be designed that way to begin with; if any thought is given to it at all, it's usually something vague about free will, their deity not being able to abide evil, ineffability, et cetera.

The real reason that the hypothetical afterlife system shook out the way it did is almost certainly to do with the people who created the mythology recognizing the value of the carrot-and-stick method of control. Obey, be rewarded. Disobey, be punished. It'll happen somewhere far away, though, so we never have to provide actual proof of this - and, for bonus points, it'll happen after you're dead and last forever, for maximum intimidation points.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Religion needs a product to sell and life-after-death requires no production costs.

[Whateverist]

From a simple, uneducated point of view an afterlife is very intuitive. No one can recall a time in which they did not exist. That isn't to say one cannot infer or deduce that that day will come. But go back 500 or 5000 years and I'm pretty sure the general consensus would be that there must be somewhere where people go when they no longer live in this life. Most would probably assume animals would continue in some kind of existence beyond becoming dinner too. It isn't that hard to imagine.

Of course the fundamentalist xtian schtick of judgement followed by eternal reward or punishment is a whole other animal. Pretty absurd but it is an elaboration upon an intuition which predates it by far. Essentially they've just hijacked something pre-existing.

---

Oh but as for logic, forget it. Any degree of reflection and critical thought will soon put the lie to an afterlife.

[Aoi Magi]

Q) Death = unknown = scary = requires comfort
So what do you do?

Options:
[ ] Grow up and face reality
[ ] Make up stuff to comfort yourself

[Huggy Bear]

OK I know that you'll say that logic and religion don't go together but there must be something that religious people use to rationalize this very central reason why most of them bother with religion.
So, what would be the point of creating this world only to test people here to see if they'll go to heaven or hell? Looking at popular belief (and not strictly the scriptures) of who goes where : the killers, thieves, gluttonous and rapists get denied of heaven and are sentenced to hell - but why? Because when you get to heaven you are immortal and if you can't die - nobody can kill you; if everybody has everything - why bother stealing?; if you don't have to eat because you're a ghost and already dead - so what if you were gluttonous?; and if everybody is lacking genitals then nobody can rape anybody.
What am I missing here? Does anyone have an answer to this?

Perhaps there could be made a case that this construction of life after death is damaging to society because it gives felons some sort of supernatural dimension of evil and therefore society is reluctant to help not only to renovate these people but make society a better place. If we take that most crime is driven by poverty, injustice and least of all mental illness then in better societies there is less crime.

*emphasis mine*

To answer your question, the reason for being tested is to build character, that is the only thing you take with you. If you want your kids to value money, you don't just supply them with an unlimited source of funds, you make them go get a job, which will make them into a responsible adult.

How can one appreciate eternal life if they've never experienced death?

[HairyCyclist]

To answer your question, the reason for being tested is to build character, that is the only thing you take with you. If you want your kids to value money, you don't just supply them with an unlimited source of funds, you make them go get a job, which will make them into a responsible adult.

How can one appreciate eternal life if they've never experienced death?

Yeah because you'll need character to survive an eternity with the God dickhead.

How can one appreciate eternal life if one has never experienced death? Haha that's what eternal life is isn't it? Also whenever I see you reply to something, the Starsky and Hutch theme tune goes through my head, don't ask me why.