There might be something more after death, but my hunch is that this is all we get. It’s one of the reasons I tell my children and my wife that I love them every time I see them. It’s one of the reasons I rarely fail to notice birds soaring above my head and green grass beneath my feet. It’s probably one of the reasons why I have had an extremely happy life so far. I acknowledge death for what it is—death. Therefore I am highly motivated to be fully alive while I am alive.
50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God, pp. 322-323
Imagine if the king of a small country announced that he was going to have his son beaten, whipped, nailed to a tree, and then stabbed with a spear. During an interview on CNN, the king admits that he is sad that his son will suffer and die but it must be done because it is the only way he can forgive the citizens of his country for their moral lapses and allow them access to healthcare and social services the following year. The king loves the people of his nation and wants their crimes pardoned, so his son must die. What would you think of this king? Weird? Cruel? Evil? Insane? But why would you expect a higher moral standard from the human king of a tiny country than you would from the god of the universe?
50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God (19), p. 151