The God, as found in the bible, is not a good God. He is full of contradictions, and everything is our fault, even our unbelief.
You get paradise, but here's a tree for good measure, and yes, you'll fail the test. I know, because I am God. Abraham finally gets a child? Sacrifice him...okay, okay, here's a lamb. Poor Isaac. Hope he doesn't retain that memory. The world has devolved? Drown everyone. And the survivors can build their own ark and watch the others drown. You looked back? Salt you become, Lot's wife. Sorry. Free will and all.
We can commit the unforgivable sin, but aren't told what it is precisely, so we can worry endlessly about having broken it. Fun, right?
You don't believe? Your fault. Worst still, you weren't chosen, sorry. Just not one of the elect, I guess.
You believe with all your heart and obey every commandment? Well, the devil now gets God's permission to destroy everything you love, kill your children, cover you with boils and make you want to die (sorry, Job). Of course, the devil is given free reign to do everything but kill you, because that would actually be merciful! Wait, what? That's right. There's a double blessing in it for you, though, with new children, 'cause the others are dead.
Jesus dies for your sins, but you can still go to hell. Judas betrays with a kiss (like the Godfather), but he was selected for the job, poor soul.
The paradoxes, "first shall be last, last shall be first." What? If you don't get the parables, you aren't part of the club. It's not ambiguous, you're ambiguous!
And my personal favourite, as if the threat of hell weren't bad enough, the last chapter you read is about how the world ends, just to terrify you, and if you're a Christian, be prepared to be tortured and die. But I thought Jesus sacrificed so we may have life more abundantly, no? Wasn't that sacrifice enough? No? Let's all read into every ambiguous sign, then, and worry about the end days, cause that's not anxiety inducing, or anything. Throw in a secret rapture to keep you terrified daily. Throw in denominations that don't believe in the rapture. Now throw in religions that don't believe in Jesus, including the one that starts the bible, Judaism. Yeah, I feel real good about things now. But why all this anxiety?
I now find the trinity really difficult to digest, and the fact that Jesus doesn't just say he is God, but makes others say it. Then no one wants credit for crucifying him. And he is mocked with a crown. It's too much now.
Actually, my child brain couldn't understand the trinity at all and it messed with my sense of logic. That's child abuse. It also made me paranoid to believe I was being watched all the time and being judged at every turn. More child abuse. Should I be killed without repenting my last sin, hell awaits, I was told. Also, you must honour your parents, but nothing in there about child abuse. Odd, since the more vulnerable one depends on the other JUST TO SURVIVE.
Mind control. Brainwashing. You turn the other cheek. Pray for others. Forgive when they don't seek it (for your health, of course), and worry you are not good enough all the time, and when you are, don't you dare take credit! You can do nothing on your own (wow), you filthy sinner (more condemnation). Add in songs that call you a wretch saved by grace. Wait, saved by grace? So now don't worry. Sin until the last moment and then ask for forgiveness. Those law-abiding atheists are all in hell (they didn't believe in the finished work of Jesus), and you can be in heaven with the rapists and the murderers. Or something. No, no that's not right, faith without deeds (works) is dead. But once saved always saved. Um. Here, wear a cross of torture around your neck instead of a crown, or something royal. It will all make sense eventually. In the meantime, argue amongst yourselves, yes?
Sorry for the long post. I admit I could have gone another five minutes, so....
TL; DR: I am convinced you are right and we've been played. The God of the bible sounds more like the one for this fallen world. The real God is pure love, and He loves you and your neighbour equally, always and forever. So love each other already and go do good things. Because just praying for someone to help doesn't make sense - you are the help. The end.
