Yes, wasting the only bit of existence I've got chasing after a false religion is a consequence. If I had some reason to assume that a religion was true, then it would be worth a gamble. Feeling like it aligns with what makes me happy isn't a reason to think it's true, it's just me choosing to feel happy in the here and now anyways. A hope of what's to come can feel good, but lacking it doesn't equate to meaninglessness.
For the same reason that being nice to nice folk makes me happy. Manipulating emotions is a skill and the same strategies work for any given emotion you're attempting to trigger. I don't have any sort of preference for which emotions I'm targeting, but I guess you could say variety is the spice of life as to why I don't choose to only make people feel nice. I just limit being mean to mean folk, not out of spite, but because I don't care if I foster a lasting relationship with someone that is rude. Just like I'm nice to nice folk because I would like to foster a lasting relationship with folk that are nice. Is that inherently selfish? Yeah, I guess so. I look at it as more of a symbiotic relationship though.
Like being gay? I know you're no religious fundie that wants to bash gays, but lets take that as an example. What about a gay fellow named Dave that likes everything about Christianity, but not the "don't be gay" stuff. Is forgoing any chance at a meaningful romantic relationship during his lifetime for the hope that he'll make it into a Heaven that he isn't even sure exists a "no consequence" bet? Would you say that "ultimately" the lifelong marriage to his partner Steve is meaningless if being gay is a "disordered passion" and being gay is wrong? Let's amp up the stakes with a person who might actually be a good person. I'm just a cold, indifferent, jerk. Plus, it gives me an excuse to roll out a quote I wrote, feel free to add it to your signature, it's that good
. "Everyone is hypothetically a good person".
I have to add as per the rules of the site, no I'm not defending being gay, being gay is a sin and it's wrong and unnatural, blah blah blah. It's a fair hypothetical to restrict it to calling being gay a sin, since it's all about beliefs anyways. If Dave doesn't believe in God, but if he thought any religion might be right it could only be Christianity,
and if he believes Christianity forbids gayness, then what should be his wager?