Likewise, if there is a deity and an afterlife, believers might convince themselves that they're doing someone a favor by torturing them to death, since after all, what's a little excruciating pain in this world as compared to the eternity of the afterlife?
Indeed they might. Some of the human sacrifices in pagan Celtic Britain were willing to be consecrated and have their throats slit, because trhey believed they were rewarded with honors inthe Druid heaven.
As another example, certain Islamic muhajidin argue that using Muslim civilians as shields is not morally offensive because if the shield dies, he or she dies as a martyr (shahid) and attains paradise.
All of the arguments against religion are correct, if you find the appropriate false religion to apply them to. I'm no defender of false religions and false gods. Quite the contrary.