Afterlife

While scientific materialism does not allow for consciousness to exist after the brain's death, it does not mean that the notion of an afterlife needs to be rejected.

The afterlife meme is so powerful because it does confer several psychological benefits to the believer. It can be very comforting to believe in being reunited with lost loved ones. It can also be very motivating to believe in eternal rewards and punishments. Many religious adherents can't conceive of morality existing without it.

But there is a reality that can't be denied and that is the fact that everything we do forever changes the universe in some small way. The molecules we have moved will forever follow a new vector.

The people we interact with will be forever changed, for better or worse, by our interactions with them. We can spread happiness and joy to those around us, or make them angry or miserable. We can have a small impact or change someone's entire life, and that change will affect how they interact with every person after that.