There are religious zealots who cause a lot of harm and express a lot of hate.

As commanded by the bible. And we can't hold them accountable because people like you already gave them permission to lie.

With your attitude, those will fight and argue with you, affirming your bias.

My attitude is irrelevant. An honest person has their mind changed with sufficient evidence. Follow the logic.

Besides, it's not just people I talk to. There are many atheist shows where believers call in to discuss their beliefs. I've heard them justify slavery, genocide, rape, and more using the bible, using commonly repeated christian bullshit.

There are good natured religious folk who don’t pressure others and just savour a personal spirituality.

Beliefs drive our actions. Superstition is deadly.

With your attitude, they simply won’t tell you anything about it, you just assume they’re atheist.

Wrong. I have my own channel, OpenAtheist, where I have spoken with hindu and sikh people about what we each believe and why. Admittedly, I try to take a less confrontational tone there than here. But you're stupidly defending a literal death cult in an atheism community. You should knock that shit off if you value anyone's life.

The most religious Christian person in my direct family is my mother in law. She does not go to church cause she believes them to be corrupt. She does not wear any symbols. I only know because my partner who is strictly atheist told me so and that she prays every night for the wellbeing of her family.

But she worships and prays to a violent abuser for mercy from his own cruelty? It's psycho shit. She needs help.

Please stop pretending these baseless beliefs aren't deadly. Real human beings are suffering and dying every day because some selfish idiots won't stop lying, and you're enabling them.

It’s a legend character. Like robin hood.

You're the one defending him. Whether he's real or not does not affect my criticisms of his character. It's also worth noting that people do think he is real, and kill and die in his name.

It very much depends on which book you read by which author. Just like any other philosophical book

You're not addressing my points.

You could write a book about how robin hood was a nasty thief, but thats not really what the idea is about.

But there is no one story about Jesus. The gospels disagree with each other. The common thread is that he's a delusional, narcissistic hypocrite who got people killed with his bad ideas.

one of the best books on moral philosophy i have ever read

Holy fucking shit. There are fictional stories with better morals than the bible.

And all those things you are so sure are a part of if weren’t in it.

In one out of five, and you think that makes the character good? What version are you describing?

Stop ignoring the glaring flaws, the foundation of superstition and abuse.

it’s a very unusual interpretation that the church doesn’t like talking about.

Then why bring it up? We're talking specificity about christ, the human sacrifice, as described in conflicting ways in the bible.

Thats god, not Jesus.

In the bible, Jesus is god.

John 10:

I and the Father are one.

John 14:

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.

Isaih 9:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Phillipians 2:

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

I can acknowledge that some versions might lean more or less toward Jesus being god, and that the concept of the trinity was basically a retcon to avoid the heresy of worshipping multiple gods, but we can also acknowledge that many people believe Jesus is god. The south baptist churches I was forced to go to certainly preached that Jesus is god.

In your version, is Jesus still the son of god? Does he still have good things to say about him? Because that is still highly problematic, even if he's not claiming to be god himself.

We very much agree the character of god is ridiculously bad.

I'm glad for that, at least. It genuinely scares me when you say you think the bible is a worthwhile guide to morality.

I am not i am just countering your unreasonable bias.

It's not unreasonable. People all over the world are voting against all of our best interests because bible says so. It's a death cult. Does Jesus die on the cross in your version? Is that a good thing? Does your version include heaven? Belief in a happy afterlife devalues our real lives.

your examples of why Christianity is bad is very much what zealots want.

This is why I asked if you've read the bible. You don't seem to understand what it contains or how many people believe it.

Its not your fault you havent had the chance of talking with good and kind religious people who do exists all over but may not even express they are religious to anyone at all.

Good and kind people don't make shit up. Intellectually honest people don't accept claims without sufficient evidence.

If you have an open mind and find yourself in a respectful conversation with a half decent priest they have no problem admitting that the bible is not to be taken literally.

That doesn't help. And I think you would be surprised. A) decent people do not spend their lives telling deadly lies. B) MANY priests insist the bible is true and contains no contradictions, because it says so. C) what do we learn metaphorically from passages where god is handing down commands and laws about owning slaves and catering to rapists?

I am curious about your version of the bible. It sounds like a complete anomaly and not at all what people think of when they think of bibles, Jesus, or christ.

Christianity is a death cult and your tolerance of it could get people killed. This is why I care so much.