Afterlife?

The more I puzzle over this the more convinced I become that we are just biological entities that come and go. That's the beginning and end of it all. No reincarnation, no heaven or hell, no afterlife. Here then gone. And I'm OK with that. It forces me to focus on today.

I can only surmise that the belief in anything beyond this world is grounded in fear and the realization that we can't control very much. If we can control another world or plane of existence (and the entrance thereto) then we have an out for our behavior in this one. I cannot fathom spending my whole life believing that going to church or temple once a week or praying five times a day or whatever will give me a leg up when I die. Isn't it far more important to interact with people every day, here and now, and give them the best of me? I do a lousy job of it, too - there aren't enough great stories of thinking of others before myself - but I am cognizant of it and keep trying to get back on that beam.

Why is an afterlife so important to humans? How does adhering to a religious faith help? And what's up with using that faith to justify bad behavior? How does it help me today if you tell me I'm not good enough because I don't believe what you believe? More importantly, to my mind anyway, how does that help you? How can that train of thought possibly make your day better? It sure can't be healthy. It has to be a matter of control. If you can control my way of life, you must be right, and by extension you are in control. I am as mystified by an Islamic suicide bomber as I am by the Buddhist mobs in Burma or the Janjaweed in Darfur. Where is the peaceful aspect of this behavior? What's the goal? And don't all of these faiths have some variation on the theme of a golden age? If that's what we're all hoping for then what are we all waiting for?

I'll just try to have my own little golden age.