"Your 'loving' deity creates us for "his pleasure". Your deity then gets upset when we excercise our free will that he gave us. Your deity then pulls this action."
God gave us free will because He wanted us to love and serve Him voluntarily, so we wouldn't be mindless automatons. However, God has rules. It's our choice whether we abide by them or not, but with free will comes responsibility. Actions trigger reactions. All decisions come with consequences. And God made it clear what the consequences of sin would be - spiritual death. Man abused (and continues to abuse) free will. It's not God's fault.
"And it is plainly stated that only a blood sacrifice will atone for sins, sounds a bit heathen don't you think, perhaps Satanic."
The essence of life is in the blood. The wages of sin is death. Therefore, blood is required for atonement. It would have been perfectly just to simply "let us die," but, out of His love for us, He provided a way out. It may sound heathen or even Satanic to you, but this is a fundamental spiritual truth. Here's the thing: God sacrificed Himself in our place so we wouldn't have to face judgment. Our penalty is paid in full. Justice is served, and we now have nothing to fear. Such is the Gospel message.
"Never minding the fact that God 'blinded' people to the truth so he could have his play with Jesus."
We Christians believe that God temporarily blinded the Jews with regards to the identification of the Messiah, so that Gentiles (non-Jews) would have the opportunity to into a relationship with Him. It's not deception. And using phrases like "have His play with Jesus," are not only demeaning and disrespectful, but ignorant. We see Jesus Christ as God the Son incarnate, both fully Man and fully God. We love the Lord and take very seriously His sacrifice... It's not some dumb puzzle. You are entitled to your opinions, but please try and be a bit more considerate.
"Now you call this a love story. May I ask what all of God's suffering accomplished for him or humanity? How does his dying serve any justice at all since he knew going into it that he would raise from the grave and therefore the sacrifice is symbolic at most."
The Bible explicitly states, "The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing." I honestly don't expect you to understand (even Bible scholars are preplexed by its tacit meanings). One way to get a better understanding of the implications of Christ's sacrifice is by examining the feasts and festivals in the Torah (for example, the Passover supper). But I think I know what you're asking. We all die eventually, so what's so special about Jesus dying on the cross? The difference is, we are all stained from our own sin. Our deaths are deserving. Christ, on the other hand, was unblemished, perfectly righteous. His death was undeserving, therefore He was in a unique position. He was able to take on the sins of others. Spiritual "death" is separation from God, and Jesus suffered this. "My God, My God, Why have you forsaken Me?" The Father was separated from the Son, which (from an emotional standpoint), must have been torment (after spending an eternity as One). You're getting into pretty deep theology. lol
"He only reappeared to a small group of people, one would think that if he wanted to make a point he wold have reappeared before Pontius Pilate, the rabbis and all his enemies to prove to them once and for all that he was God and leave no doubt as to the truth. He did not."
Christ's closest friends saw Him resurrected (Even His disciples found it difficult to believe). A multitude saw Him ascend. The high priests knew something was up, otherwise they wouldn't have instructed the guards to keep silent about what they saw. Two thousand years later, over two billion people identify themselves as His followers. I'd say He proved His point. But like I said before, God doesn't just want us to have head knowledge. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but He also also wants us to have heart knowledge. When we have the courage to take that step of faith, He begins revealing Himself to us.
"Look, the Christian Bible is a rehash of all the old shaman and pagan myths of old. It has been readapted for a different culture and a different time but that is all."
Shaman myths? The Christian Gospel message is rooted in the practices and prophecies of ancient Judaism. The first Christians were observant Jews. And the Jews were the first group of people to recognize the idea of "One God" (monotheism). To put it plainly, pagans HATED Jews. Other nations welcomed the Romans because they brought order. Israel believed in One supreme Being (no room for Caesar). This is one thing to consider when investigating why the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD. While those pagan religions are long gone, Judeo-Christianity (which has endured much terrible persecution) is still thriving.
"Every religion that has ever existed has numerous death and resurrection myths, numerous miraculous healings, numerous raising of humans from the dead."
First of all, not "every religion that has ever existed" tells of death and resurrection. I think you're exaggerating just a little bit (lol). Mithras, Osiris, Adonis, etc. Yes, I find it interesting that this has been a recurring theme throughout sacred history. I don't see the problem, though. Personally, I think it's fascinating.
"Christianity and Christ are not special, they are just a new take on old thoughts."
Whereas other religions have followers dying for their deities, Christianity holds that God died on OUR behalf. What Christianity offers is very unique: a personal relationship with our Creator. In Islam, for instance, Allah is said to be so transcendant that followers could never hope to know him personally. Other religions have ceremonies and rituals meant to "appease" their god(s). Christianity holds that anyone who simply accepts (by sincerely believing) what Christ did for us is justified and spiritually made pure. Heck, Muslims, no matter how many times a day they pray or attend mosque, don't even have the assurance they will be "good enough" to be accepted into Heaven. Also, my own personal experiences have convinced me of the healing and prophetic power of God. Nothing can convince me He's not not active in my life, in the lives of my family, and in the lives of fellow believers.
"Sorry."
I forgive you.
"The reason I believe that is because the myths are so similar and the religions are all the same inherently. Either that, or humantity has a predisposed fixation with death, resurrecction and megalomania."
Eh, that's not true. It's good at least that you recognize there's "something" out there. lol But I think it's fair to say yours the typical skeptical perspective: View all religions collectively. Many skeptics also often equate "belief in God" (theism) with organized religion. Judeo-Christianity may share ideas with world religions, but the messages are radically different.
"By the way, you failed to really address any of the issues I raised. You restated that the JWs and the Mormons are incorrect because other sects think so but failed to address the point I raised as to how this helps validate any religions claim that it is correct."
I'd prefer not to go too far into this. The polytheistic Mormon religion is a historical, doctrinal, and anthropological nightmare. And Jehovah's Witnesses think that Christ went to Brooklyn and started a magazine (lol). Both sects censure Christian symbols. I hope you see the difference. If it helps, trying looking up "cult" on Wikipedia for a more definitive answer.
"Also the fact that the Catholics, who claim the Pope is a direct link to God's will, added books were as Protestants state the Catholics are incorrect in adding them once again shows me that none of them have any real idea about God."
Just because two groups have disagreements, that certainly doesn't mean neither group knows what they're talking about. You won't be able to apply this reasoning anywhere outside religion.
"Neither do I, but I do not teach people that my way is the right way mainly because I have no way."
In that case, I guess you lose by default. Look, why don't you just ask? If you are honestly seeking an answer, sincerely and with an open heart, ask God to reveal Himself to you. I have every confidence that He will answer. You just have to be looking for it. There's no harm ..or shame.. in asking.
