What about religion? Is there not meaning to life?
Nobody knows for certain if there is meaning to life, unless it has been revealed to them by a personal experience, or by faith. However, many of the accounts that people give on the meaning of life are contradictory, so many people who claim to know the meaning of life are surely incorrect. The meaning of life also is unknowable to all living things apart from humans as other living things have no way of understanding our religions and ideas.
Religions have historically given inaccurate information and the beliefs which people follow change over time. This does not necessarily mean that everything stated by religions is wrong, although many religions contradict each other so surely at least some of them are incorrect.
Some common beliefs are covered in the following points, and it is assumed that each belief is correct for the purposes of the argument.
A: The afterlife exists and we are either rewarded or punished for our actions in life.
If universal extinction was achieved, there would be no more lives to be judged, no more souls sent to heaven or hell, no more souls going into the afterlife. This is not necessarily a bad thing, for how can a soul miss what it does not know if this soul did not exist in the first place, or did not leave the place where souls are before coming to live in the universe.
B: The universe is a school where souls go to learn.
There is no harm in learning. There is however harm in sending souls into a universe with no memory of where and why they are, with no instruction manual, and often being sentenced to some of the most horrible suffering imaginable (with some pleasurable times too though). We should be protesting this school. Otherwise, could universal extinction be part of what we need to do to learn?
What is the point of a school where everything that you have learned is erased? Assuming that reincarnation is a part of this process, you cannot carry your lessons onto the next life or grow as a soul if you cannot remember those lessons.
C: Reincarnation happens and souls are continually born and die in the universe.
Universal extinction could break the endless cycle and allow all souls to rest.
D: The universe continually goes through the Big Bang-Big Crunch cycle.
It is favourable to achieve universal extinction to minimise the amount of suffering experienced in each cycle. The ultimate goal would be to find a way of breaking this cycle.
E: The Abrahamic Faiths (Christianity, Judaism, Islam).
Universal extinction could not be achieved by human intervention which destroys creation without going against holy texts. There is not much of a work-around as the message is quite clear.
The Bible says that God will judge and punish those who ruin the earth (Revelation 11:18).
The Quaran sees humans as being morally responsible for caring for the Earth.
The Tanakh forbids the destruction of resources, life and nature.
Humans have not generally done a very good job of following these books, judging by the way we treat Earth and exploit other living things. What they have done well is follow the command to multiply. This command makes it impossible to achieve universal extinction through voluntary non-reproduction.
These faiths tell stories of extinction events and give some prophecy for the end of times, or for better times. Maybe humanity does not have to play a part in universal extinction as this will be dealt with by a higher power. Could the act of prayer help to start the process?
The Bible promises a transformed eternity where God dwells with humanity on a new earth free of pain and death (Revelation 21:1–4). If this was to happen, maybe there would be no need for universal extinction.
The Quran describes the end of the Earth as a sudden, cataclysmic event known as "The Hour". The current physical world will be destroyed and replaced by a new heavens and earth, followed by the resurrection and judgment of all humanity.
In some ways, many followers of these faiths are already universal extinctionists, even if they do not realise it! Instead of seeing humans playing a role, they are relying on a higher power. Maybe this higher power can be reasoned with, as some of the prophets did when they had conversations with God.
F: Hinduism.
In Hinduism, the destruction of the universe is not considered to be a bad thing; rather, it is viewed as a natural, necessary, and inevitable part of the cosmic cycle.
Again, humans do not seem to need to play much of a role, and the Gods will take care of things. It seems that there is no escape from the endless cycle though.
Who knows what methods the Gods may take to deliver the destruction of the universe? Could humans play a divine part?
G: Atheism/Agnosticism.
These are a growing proportion of the beliefs which people have. Maybe for universal extinction delivered by human intervention to happen in the future, these ideas will need to continue to grow and become a majority.