The answers you get – both christian or islamic - are not convincing. In fact they are very much built on a strange black & white thinking: Either you are a good human being and you’ll enjoy the heavens for eternity or you’re a bad human being and suffer the purgatory flames of hell for eternity.

Thanks for sharing your views @sascha. As I believe you've misrepresented the Christian view of life after death, I just wanted to clarify what I understand to be the overarching message of the writers of the New Testament.

The "cursed" and the "righteous" as Jesus referenced in Matthew 25 are not distinguished by human performance, whether one is good or bad. Rather, all are "bad" and therefore all are deserving of eternal separation from God. In the same way, no one can ever be righteous or good by being a good person.

Instead, God in his mercy has made a way for people to be made right with him not through good works, but through faith. Eternal life begins when you believe that Jesus sacrificed his life to free you from the penalty for your sins. This may sound foolish and antiquated to some, but it is the view of early Christians and the majority of Christians today.

Romans 3:10-26 is a good summary of this view.

Of course, there are some presuppositions upon which this view are rationally based:

• There is a personal, all-knowing, all-powerful God whose very character determines what is right and wrong.
• This God reveals himself to humanity, whom he cares for.
• God's moral standard is revealed in the Ten Commandments and ultimately in Jesus' directive to "love God..." and "love your neighbor as yourself."
• Because this God is holy, none who are unholy or unrighteous can enter his presence.

I'll vehemently defend your right to reject this worldview. I just want you to be clear on what you're rejecting.

Thanks again for provoking some meaningful thought on the afterlife :)