Bill, I think the idea of being "rewarded in the afterlife" bothers you mostly just because you think there probably IS no afterlife. I'll explain what I mean about that...

We ARE rewarded for our own good conduct in the aftermath of any event in which we take part...and punished in various ways for our bad conduct. For instance, if I commit a crime or a wrongful act of any kind, I may be punished afterward by...

- the legal system
- the disapproval of my community
- the disappointment of friends and family
- the negative attention I get in the media
- fines, imprisonment
- feelings of guilt, embarrassment, and/or regret over what I've done
- etc.!

So, we are definitely run the considerable risk of being punished in various ways in the aftermath of our negative acts while we're still alive. This doesn't indicate that God punishes us, necessarily. It merely indicates that the results of our actions punish us! That's also called "karma".

On the other hand, when we do good things, we receive many rewards for them.

Assuming there was an afterlife...and there may well be...and since one's consciousness and memory would therefore still be functioning...why would one NOT expect to be either punished or rewarded in some way by one's own good and bad acts, since one would still be affected at least by the knowledge of them, and the feelings such as regret or remorse which that knowledge brings forth?

One doesn't need a punishing deity handing out thunderbolts and slaps on the wrist in order to feel regret or remorse, and to wish that one had done better.

If there is an afterlife, then such feelings will apply. And so will the good feelings generated by the memory of our kinder and better acts.

In short, we bear responsibility, and we can't necessarily escape it just by knocking over the mortal chessboard and saying, "The game's over." The results of what we did linger on.