[FAKrogoth]

About the afterlife thing, I personally believe that most of the support for this view comes from the fact that life isn't fair! A lot of people don't want to have to deal with it, so they like to believe that there is a great equalizer. Then, they can feel good about their suffering, because, by taking it in the $@#$@#$@#, they're getting karmic brownie points and condemning the other guy to Hell. Thus, they convince themselves that there is no reason to stick up for themselves. This is very dangerous attitude to promote, unless you're a slave driver or the Catholic Church.

Personally, I believe that there is no 'life after death,' because there is EXACTLY no evidence of any mechanism by which it would work. To convince me of something unprovable, one must show at least a way it MIGHT work. Is anyone up to the challenge?