Religious morality makes no sense

It is a puzzle that many religions contain both a just world theory and a theory of salvation. The former would seem to make the latter redundant.

So for example, if "the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice" as Martin Luther King says, then what is the point of Jesus? Is having jesus tipping the scales in our favour fair? Hardly. It suggests that we can escape the consequences of our actions on a technicality.

Jesus saves Christians from sin, but a just universe would do that anyway for anyone who was, on balance, a good person. And let's be clear most of us are good. Most of our sins are petty and inconsequential. If there was a Heaven then I can't imagine anyone of my friends and family not being there. I can't really imagine that my enemies would fail to get in either, which would be awkward for me.

We have the same problem in Buddhism. In many versions of the religion we have saviour figures, or at least special things that one has to do in order to be saved. But if the universe is just, then this should not be necessary. A just universe rewards everyone appropriately. We may suffer, but only as appropriate.

The whole point of salvation as a concept is that without it we are screwed. Either on our way to eternal Hell, or doomed to endless cycles of rebirth and death which is much the same thing. But what sin could one possibly commit that would make an eternity of suffering just and fair? Eternity is a long time. I cannot think of anything which could justify and eternity of punishment.

There are quite a few people I'd happily give the red hot poker treatment to. But I can't imagine more than half an hour or so would be required to redress, say, the misery caused my whole family by my abusive alcoholic grandfather. Worse, I know that suffering is not redemptive - it surely has not redeemed me! Inflicting pain is pure revenge and that can be cathartic, but it has consequences that have to be dealt with. Suffering is never neutral. Causing a person to suffer for eternity as a concept is monstrous.

There problems in religion-based morality seem so obvious and intractable to me nowadays. I can't really believe anyone ever fell for it. That millions of people still do fall for it is puzzling.