There are more than one plane of existence, if I recall correctly there is a hadith in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said that the difference between this world and the next is like a drop of water and the ocean.
Note that one does not "immediately" go to either of these places upon...
In terms of what we consume, the general rule is that everything is halal unless there is reason to believe that it is haraam. What you consume can either be haraam because of what it is (eg pork/alcohol) or because of how it was obtained (not slaughtered the proper way/stolen/dishonesty...
Brainwashed? That's highly dismissive isn't it? So just because someone doesn't choose your sect they're brainwashed? It can't be because they spent some time actually learning and thinking about it?
OP didn't even say he had any intention of converting, maybe it was just to understand...
Honestly, the best way to learn is to actually go for classes. I would suggest learning about mainstream Islam (what majority muslims adhere to) and then look at the minorities. The problem with simply going online is that you are subject to your own understanding of what you read, and thus you...
Sufis are those who take great importance in purifying their inward selfs, which is actually part of Islam. The problem is when some people only take care of one side and ignore the other. The proper way is to strive for betterment both inwardly and outwardly. The inward form would be Tasawwuf...