Thanks for responding, I'll copy and paste your questions and answer them one by one:
In giving us free will to choose not to follow him/believe in him, God gives us control of our own destiny. Like any good and loving parent, he teaches us the best way to live but then gives us the opportunity to make our own decisions. I believe this is an intentional limitation of his own power, because He wants us to choose to love him rather than being forced to. Before his son came to earth, the Father had the opportunity to, and still could change the goalposts completely.
But he chooses not to. Not out of reluctance or anger, but because he respects the choices that his children make. But He wants more than anything else to be reconciled to each and every one of us.
Enter Jesus.
Jesus was sent to live a sinless life, which would make a way for people to be reconciled to God as they would be "clothed in Jesus' righteousness". Christ dying for humanity's sin and rising again made an irremovable path that allows us to enter eternal life should we choose it. This was the only way that God could reconcile us to himself without removing the choice he had given man at the beginning.
As for the barbaric nature of his death, whilst Jesus knew it was going to end that way, it was the people who he pissed off (the pharisees, sadducees etc) who actually ensured that he was crucified. Having the Romans do it (the most ruthless and feared Empire ever) actually reassures me that he was actually killed. These guys were killing machines, they did not conquer entire nations by almost killing people to the extent they could walk around again 3 days later.
So you are really showing how much of an egotist your God truly is. He wants us to believe in him otherwise he will allow us to spend eternity burning in hell. Regardless of how well we live our lives it is purely whether we believe in him that will determine our fate.
He will only forgive if you believe. It's silly really. He's all knowing and all powerful and will only forgive if you believe, he'll know you've led a good life but only really wanted to know you loved him. Anything else is unacceptable.
As for ''loving parent''. I don't see how he has taught us anything.People are good because of empathy. We don't murder ,not because it's a commandment. But because it isn't nice. Even animals have these traits.
Most loving parents allow their children to. follow their own path. If they did something they didn't like though they would hardly set their kids on fire would they. A loving parent loves their child regardless.
The Romans may have been ruthless in battle. Maybe in life. But that doesn't mean they definitely killed Jesus. The whole point of crucifixion is that it is a slow death. They are left to die. Jesus could very easily have been taken down by his followers whilst still alive.
I still see no reason to sacrifice his son/himself. If he only wanted people to believe in him then he only had to reveal himself. If you read the old testament then he did this a lot before. So why not now?
And why was this only done in such a small part of the world. Effectively a few places in the middle east. We already know that people covered the globe. If God wanted everyone to believe in him then why is he only showing to a select few? He wanted the people to stop following the Jewish priests in one part of the world. He couldn't care less tho that people in the Americas and Europe were following Pagan Gods and other religions. It still makes no sense.
