> It's all up in the air; some claim there is, others the opposite. And there's no way to prove anything.

The fact that those pushing the idea that there is something also depend exclusively on your believing the idea to make a living and gain power and influence over society leads me to believe that the odds are not 50/50.

You’re putting the cart before the horse through a pinhole here. Religion has existed long before organizations like, say the Catholic Church, derived their power through its adherents. You’re also making this mistake through a lens that disregards beliefs in the afterlife across nearly all cultures, regardless of whether someone can gain power from pushing it (many eastern religions).

In summary: just because some people and organizations promote religion for their purposes does not at all wipe away the various religions across time and cultures that DONT fit those criteria you mentioned.

Goes for anyone pushing anything.

It's still 50/50, because you have no proof either way.

Not really. The guy selling you apples is just selling you apples, but the guy trying to sell you a bridge might just be abusing your naiveness.

But you have personal experience of bridges, which is what allows you to judge.

Not so much of what happens after dying.