Well for one, not every religion purports an afterlife. Where I quibble though is for two notions. 1: I think the perspective of those either denying or being a

Well for one, not every religion purports an afterlife. Where I quibble though is for two notions. 1: I think the perspective of those either denying or being apathetic about the possibility of an afterlife is in fact life-affirming. Hume is like this for instance. One has to seize it while it lasts; this is not contingent on there being an afterlife. Whether you think there's an afterlife or not, life ends. The stoics and Buddhists and the like opt to navigate with an emphasis on self-mastery and acceptance of that which is out of control. If we're comparing anecdotes, I don't recognize them to be a depressive bunch. And 2: I expect the comfort of religion is far less so about an afterlife than the gamification of life, winning spirit "points", borrowing pre-cut meaning espoused from dogma to relieve the depression of a toiling, dull life. But it needn't be so. I think meaning is a personal responsibility, and not everyone has the wherewithal to decide it for themselves. That's a task. There's nothing inherently depressing about not knowing what happens when we die - it's misdirection, depression is about life itself. I am a happy atheist.