Rise of atheism: 100,000 Brits seek 'de-baptism'

[Final-Fan]

ManusJustus said:

Final-Fan said:

Why are Earthly deeds meaningful as opposed to meaningless just by the absence of an afterlife?  Sure, you could say that what affects our Earthly lives is relatively more important when that is the only life you get, as opposed to also having an afterlife that lasts much longer than Earthly life, but you still have yet to show IMO why the existence of an afterlife erases all the meaning that life would otherwise have.  

With an afterlife, things you do on Earth have no effect on the eventual outcome of the universe.

Without an afterlife, things you do on Earth have an effect on the eventual outcome of the universe.

My assumption is that the afterlife has characteristics of most religions on Earth (Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, etc.) where this world will eventually come to an end and a new will begin.

As opposed to this world coming to an end to be replaced by nothing?  Wow, I can see what a difference my charitable contribution really made in the long run!  

And doesn't it bother you that you're relying on the assumption that the Earthly deeds have no effect on who gets into what afterlife?  

Also, even if the old world is erased and replaced by the new, everyone who still remembers the old world is thus affected by what happened in it, i.e. earthly deeds.  (As in my first question.)  Or, let's say, the number of friends he starts out with in Heaven.   

Finally, does this mean that you concede that the existence of an afterlife doesn't per se mean that the preceding lifetime was meaningless, if there is not a "world reboot"?