You can ponder it the same way that you can ponder ‘Star Wars’. I involves recognizing that ‘Star Wars’ is a work of fiction. Pondering what happens after you die based on what is written in the Bible requires recognizing that there are no other confirmations of that particular story and it may well be fiction.
On the other hand, there are parts of the Bible which are testable. You can’t know if Jesus walked on water or turned water into wine, but you can try his recommendation that you forgive your brother. Does it work for you personally and does it work for society as a whole?
That’s not fiction. That’s workable or not workable, right or wrong stuff.
And if Jesus was right about it, then he had a better understanding or people and the world (God’s creations) than those around him.
On the one hand, you treat all religion as fiction.
And on the other hand, you treat this discussion/pondering as the most important discussion in the world.
If you separated the testable/verifiable part of religion from the un-testable/un-verifiable, then you could have a productive and entertaining discussions. There would be one discussion about suggested behaviors and another discussion about the mythology.
Sure, you have details of vice/virtue and saint/sinner … which are then buried in alleged rewards and punishments in a mythical afterlife.
Even Jesus was not clear about what happens in the afterlife. What he is clear about, is that a follower of Jesus (a Christian) is happy in this life. The ‘reward’ comes before you die.
If you look at surveys of religious opinions, you don’t see that kind of emphasis. If you look at small communities and congregations, you don’t see that kind of emphasis.
Admittedly ‘dasein’ may be skewing my opinions since I come into contact with more Catholics and other religions than Protestants. I did live next door to two fundie families.