How do you know what you claim about “the” reward, eternal torment, goodness and afterlife? From what sources do you get your information?

It’s true that it’s very important how we build or construct our own character, soul, heart, and mind. And it begins here and now, and we reap at least some of the fruits here and now: we can share in love, goodness, kindness, selflessness, joy, purity, freedom from passions and ease from burdains in this life … if we truly want and try to. The Apostles beheld Christ’s glory while still on earth, at the mount of Transfiguration, and so the words of the Word were fulfilled, when He said to them: “some of you will not taste of death until they’ll see the Kingdom of God coming with power“. Truly happy and blessed and at ease is the man whose heart shares and delights in these things (Matthew 6:21; Luke 12:34).

Please, Yurka. STOP trying to do formal logic. You can’t.

Ecclesiastes 9 (The Message)

Seize life! Eat bread with gusto,
Drink wine with a robust heart.
Oh yes—God takes pleasure in your pleasure!
Dress festively every morning.
Don’t skimp on colors and scarves.
Relish life with the spouse you love
Each and every day of your precarious life.
Each day is God’s gift. It’s all you get in exchange
For the hard work of staying alive.
Make the most of each one!
Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily!
This is your last and only chance at it,
For there’s neither work to do nor thoughts to think
In the company of the dead, where you’re most certainly headed.

11 I took another walk around the neighborhood and realized that on this earth as it is—

The race is not always to the swift,
Nor the battle to the strong,
Nor satisfaction to the wise,
Nor riches to the smart,
Nor grace to the learned.
Sooner or later bad luck hits us all.

12 No one can predict misfortune.
Like fish caught in a cruel net or birds in a trap,
So men and women are caught
By accidents evil and sudden.

I think I see your point, Yurka. Since our actions determine how and where we inhabit eternity then a great amount of significance can be given to each action or ‘moment’. As Maximus Decimus Meridius said, “what we do here on earth… echoes in eternity”. The catch is, however, what if there is no eternity in which to echo?

You seem to display a trend of drawing extreme conclusions from small amounts of data; atheists are all nihilists (especially Woody Allen), all atheists are unhappy and I am a miserable sot, drowning my sorrows in meaninglessness and beer.

There was a logic exercise that we did in elementary school that went something like this. Maybe you did this too.

Suzy is unhappy
Suzy is a ballerina
Conclusion: All ballerinas are unhappy
True or False?

This exercise can be applied to any group. Basketball players, lefties, astronauts, kittens, Buddhists, Lithuanians, Christians and yes… even atheists. Suzy may be clinically depressed. Or an abuse victim. Or her cat may have died. There’s simply insufficient data. I don’t mean to sound patronizing here but dude you have to stop making these ludicrous insinuations. It’s insulting and it makes you look foolish.

I like to believe the best about people. And I want to believe the best about you. I believe that you are an intelligent person. But this seems to be simply a monologue of sorts on your part without a reasonable willingness to consider alternate points of view. We here in this forum are where we are because we have been willing to consider things apart from dogma. I would hope that we could engage in a sensible dialogue, setting the dogma aside, and just talk.

sincerely,
Paleale

Then let’s say at the end of the million years, God tells you that you get another million years. You wouldn’t be happy to hear this – it would only mean more meaninglessness.