Eternal life is not a reward...Once your born, you are eternal provided that God does not destroy your soul. Heaven is not a reward for following God since those who choose to follow Jesus will actually live on Earth for eternity, not in heaven. Living in Heaven is temporary until the end of this age.

Does the second question assume that you prove that the diety also doesn't exist.

If my deity of choice doesn't give eternal life, that would mean that he was a lier...however he would still have the ability to grant eternal life (unless your assuming he doesn't have that power) even though he hasn't done it before, so I guess I would still follow him hoping I'm good enough to be the first to get eternal life. 

I really like this question Maragon. I read it last night when I got home late and a little drunk. I had a great desire to respond to it then, but I wanted to do it when I was 100% sober.

First off, I just want to say it again, I really like this question. Personally, I found that when I read it the wheels started turning big time. So I think I'll start off by saying that it would really suck to find out that there was no eternal life. It almost seems, in my mind, that one of the primary functions of there being a Creator is to provide a place for his creations to be with him again. So to find out that there is not a life, eternally, after this one would be a great blow. Again thoughts such as, "What about consequences? What about rewards?" come to mind with great veracity. It seems that with no eternal life, there would be no punishment or come-upins for murders like Dahmer, Manson, etc. and this for some reason gets my girdle. It just doesn't seem right for there not be effects corresponding to committing such haneous crimes during our humanity. It sickens me to know that nothing would happen to them. 

This last point makes me come to a sad realization, I am vindictive. I believe this is right word to describe my feeling towards murderers and their need for punishment. I know that it's bad to wish ill things upon anyone, but for some reason, their horrible actions justify my feelings in my mind. Wierd...I thought I was a nice person through and through. Suppose some more food for thought when it comes to considering my sense of generosity (or lack there of) for serial killers. 

So that's my long answer to the question you asked. The following is just a fine point about the idea that I've hypothetical ly discovered my God to exist. It seems to me, that if there is a God with all the omni's you can slap on to him, if there were other Gods besides him, he wouldn't be omni'ed in every sense of the word. I believe it was Plato who brought up a similar question when he recounted some of Socrates' views of polytheism in Greek culture. Such as, if God's fight then how can there be unity among them? In my mind, you can also say, if there is many Gods how can one of them be all powerful? If you say that some Gods are less powerful, then wouldn't that make them no longer a God? So I see the hypothetical realization that "my" God exists, as essentially, pointing to the only God that in fact does exist. I seems to follow that that would be case following Plato's line of reasoning if my God has all the omni's you can slap on him.

The last bit was just some philosophical ponderings concerning God. Essentially it was just superfluous jabberring, but none the less valuable I hope for those trying to understand my answer to your question Maragon. Again, thank you for a great question and incase I didn't answer it simply enough and your still asking yourself, "what is your damn answer??!?!?" it would be, I wouldn't like to hear that there is not an eteneral life.   

Everything you said was exactly right Jacob. I didn't have much to say and the last bit was just musing  ;P

By saying all that I didn't say, I was merely trying to point out the lack of an answer I had to a really good question. The reason I think the question is so good, is because I don't really have an answer. 

I apologize if I made it seem like I had an answer somewhere within my reply. All of it was essentially a great big "I don't know what to think" buried among an enormous pile of words.  

I find the notion of pursuing excessive punishments(torture) on people, especially after they die, to be inhumane. I consider it humane to put down a person who is a danger to society to the extent of a killer. I'm comfortable with a serial rapist being executed, or other persistent violent acts leading to execution. I don't find death inhumane. The prison system we have now in the west exists for profit, unfortunately it's also skewed perceptions of what is even possible.

I don't know when 'god' began to be clearly defined as omnis and infinites. I'd like to know about that. I could do a lot of papers on it next semester

Honestly, I wouldn't for a second serve Him if i knew that i'll get nothing in return.  But i'm betting my life (and soul) that He exists and that He keeps His promises and give me my promised reward for obeying and serving Him and Him alone.

Its no different from others betting their entire fortunes on a single wager. 

I wouldn't discount the possibility, but I don't suspect that there is any afterlife to speak of. I don't count on it, nor do I live life under the impression that anything I do will echo into eternity.

I think it's safe to say that most people who subscribe to some form of Christianity would believe this, but... I still doubt it.

Yep.

You bet.

There's a lot more to a religious hermeneutic than metaphysical and teleological hopes for an afterlife and consummate rewards in eternity. I enjoy religion *now* and make sense of life through religion at the moment. It is sufficient.

I'm gonna take that as a compliment.  So thank you.