[quote=Robeatics]
I can see this getting messy quickly.
[/quote]

They normally do at some point. It's just a matter of getting what discussion we can out of it before someone asks the mods to close it.

[quote=Protagonist]
Yes, and no. One way to interpret it all is an "appeal to force". Morality is a series of appeals to force (you steal, you get arrested). God has all the force, he gets to decide what's right and wrong. I don't particularly agree with this line of thinking, but it technically would reconcile theism and moral relativism.What I gathered from reading the bible is that "social morals" (IE, what's socially acceptable or legal) are relative, while "divine morals" are not. Basically, society runs in circles morally (what was acceptable 100 years ago is not today, and what is acceptable today will not be acceptable 100 years into the future). God's considered a static point by which society is judged, as opposed to the other way around.
[/quote]

That does seem to be how Religion looks at and defines morality, looking at the all "How are you moral if you don't believe in God?" crap that get's spewed.
I could go on forever arguing why Religions interpretation of Gods and Morals is messed up. But that would do nothing to change how religion sees god, nor would there too much point cause morality is always subjective no matter who you look at, so I'd basically be arguing on the basis of my own subjective morality.

[quote=Protagonist]
The problem with the claim that Christ is good, but Christianity or the Christian God is not is this:1) Jesus and God mutually approve of everything the other does. For that matter, they actually don't act that different per say. Old Testament God isn't really that vengeful (for example, in the book of Judges, he repeatedly forgives the nation for its own transgressions and seems to have an attitude of "I'll always take you back"), nor was Christ/New Testament God really all that merciful (in the book of revelation, he kills innumerable amounts of people. In fact, he's possibly more violent during this period of time than old testament God ever was)2) Christians seek to be like Jesus. If you have complaints about the ways Christians generally behave, but have no such complaints with Christ, then your complaint is more that they aren't Christian enough.
[/quote]

1) If we go the route that God and Jesus are the same person, then it's not they approve all of what the other does. It is the same person doing all of it. But if we go the Jesus is the son of God route, perhaps. But it theoretically it's also possible that behind the scenes they disagree with some of each others actions, but it's nothing something they dare show humanity. As for OT vs NT, there's a lot of scriptures in both that can be used to reinforce he was a violent sadist or that he was a forgiving saint. But such variance and inconsistency is what tends to happen the book is written by a ton of sand people who were not ever allowed to alter one anothers work. That or god is bipolar.

2) Not really. Most atheists I run into to tend to say "You Christians are awful, but Jesus was kind of decent" still disagree with Jesus in regards to if Christianity is true. They just find Jesus to generally be a more decent and moral person than most Christians are, so it's basically another way of them saying "I wish you Christians were more moral".