What's the upsetting part? Amos has asked in the second post in this thread and this is still the question without a clear answer, Tunesmith.

With each new post you change the focus.
not enough people are asking questions about the institutions that control great areas of our life Many here would agree with that sentence who do not at all agree with what you write about religion.

I'm upset that people in power lie to us. Here, too, hardly anyone will speak against you.

Whether there was a historical Jesus or not? That can be debated, but what you have given us so far is a very thin argument and, at least to me, thoroughly unconvincing.

That earlier myths from other people have been integrated into the stories of the Bible? For most Christians I know, such a thought is hardly upsetting, neither for their personal faith nor from a rational point of view, but then we scarcely have any literal-minded Christians over here.

Now, in your most recent post, you come with a comnpletely new argument, namely that The Bible, and the insistance that it is a true word-for-word account, has led to the death of countless thousands.

If you would be clearer in what you attack and change the main topic of your atteck less often there even might be a debate. You might even get support from an atheist like me in one or two points. The way you do it with sweeping generalisations and an unclear focus of attack you come over as a completely unfair critic of most of Christianity. Such an attack will never have me as an ally.

Wolfgang