If I did not know that there was an afterlife, I would fear oblivion coming after my death. If I did not believe there was an afterlife, I would have been devastated when my parents and son died, rather than being sad for myself but yet being comforted in the knowledge that I would see them again.

Some of my relatives are atheists, and one recently mentioned to me that life is terrible. He said that possessions and money can come and go. Only our love for each other lasts. Yet we get to go through life losing each other one by one and finally to lose our own life. Although I understand his feelings, I am glad that I don't share them. It made me realize how without a hope in seeing loved ones again and the hope of living on, life is indeed sad and without a plan.

My heaven is here and now.So I try my best to do the right thing right now, and if I am eternal (the soul / spirit part of us)it's myself that needs to be pleased not some guy with a beard in the clouds.
Written about 700 years before Mathew.

. 16 Decay and Renewal

Empty the self completely;
Embrace perfect peace.

The world will rise and move;
Watch it return to rest.
All the flourishing things
Will return to their source.

This return is peaceful;
It is the flow of nature,
An eternal decay and renewal.
Accepting this brings enlightenment,
Ignoring this brings misery.

Who accepts nature's flow becomes all-cherishing;
Being all-cherishing he becomes impartial;
Being impartial he becomes magnanimous;
Being magnanimous he becomes natural;
Being natural he becomes one with the Way;
Being one with the Way he becomes immortal:
Though his body will decay, the Way will not.

So I guess I don't believe in an afterlife I see it as one continual life and this reality is just a blink on its journey and expansion. The phrase facing God Don't we face "him" every moment? What's the difference between now and when your dead? It's now that you must meet your maker. Be Christ like now not later. I know easier said than done but just imagine if everyone knew that there maker was there and is always there and that you never separated.Its a point that has been told by many that we are not separate from god. We face him when we look in the mirror.
So face yourself now! Why wait until your dead?
peace

Knowledge of an afterlife has probably in some respects made me worse of a person...

When I was a full blown atheist I felt conciousness was just an epiphenomena of electrical activity in the brain, and thought the universe was deterministic and 'science' was god So to speak. No afterlife, just one shot at existing... I thought this was beautiful, existence felt like a gift almost that I had to make the most off, I was empathetic to others to a hug degree, loved helping with problems. I wallowed in how beautifully meaningless it was to be here, I was pretty much as free as I was now. I wanted to make the most of my shot at existence, I did spontaneous things... death didn't scare me though, I didn't remember or feel bad about not existing before I was born so why would I after I died? Oh and I saw memories themselves as the beautiful things so the death of others wasn't as troubling as people might think.

Now I've awoken from all that, realised how eternal I am. I've gotten lazy, I can't empathise with other peoples 'problems' like I used too, and I don't feel in such a mad rush to do anything really. I know I could, and probably have just created another physical reality experience and try again. Can't help it. In some ways existence is just as magical as it was before, but in other ways its not. I guess overall the change was for the better, I'm happier now in the knowledge which is most important.

So yeah it's sort of made me generally happier knowing, but it's changed a few aspects of my personality in a negative way.

well how does one that knows the truth that very little know act compare to the majority that don't know it? it is the same life with a more profond understanding. jesus explain it very clearly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbBmpaDBizA&feature=related

one should read those very carefully to understand:john 3.11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.

john 3.12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?

john 3.13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven--the Son of Man.

john 3.19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

john 3.20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

john 3.21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

out of the body the spirit the eternal part of you is made of light. and you go to a world that is light filled with being of light. where nothing is hidden. and every one talk sharing the golden light.

Knowing is knowledge and all knowledge affects our effect. Knowledge is an act of the mind. The mind can act as a separate entity from the whole, which allows us to feel "Out of body experiences," but the mind remains bound to the body as is it's divine structure. Enjoy.