You did not specify "a set of beliefs" within Christianity. You specified – and continue to specify ALL of Christianity. The beliefs against which you rail are not my Christ-centered beliefs. I rail against those hateful beliefs myself, all the time.
As for the what is in the Bible, it is filled with cultural and historical impositions of its time, as well as universal truths like agape love and grace. I too grew up in those harmful belief systems of fundamentalism and conservatism. But, I read for myself and found the overarching theme of the Bible, when read with discernment, to be God's grace and love for us and desire to be in right relationship with us.
The US Constitution and American Democracy were not written for you and me nor any BIPOC nor LGBTQ persons. They were long applied in ways to oppress marginalized peoples and are now being used to do that again in some circles. That does not mean the entirety of those ideals are "at [their] core, cruel and abusive." It means we have to use discernment and love to apply the promise of the ideals. The same is true of the Bible. The promise of God is grace and agape love.
My belief system – and the belief system of all progressive Christians is not the belief system of fundamentalist conservatives. Progressive Christian belief is founded in a Christ-centered faith in God's grace and agape love. You are railing against fundamentalist conservatism (I rail against them too, at length and ad infinitum). Fundamentalist conservatism has nothing to do with the teachings of Christ. I say again, it only veneers itself in a hollowed out cloak of religion devoid of compassion, love, or God.
My beliefs, and the belief of progressive Chrstians, is inclusive and welcoming. Love is love. We are all deserving of love and equality. We are one race – the human race. Most of us also believe there are many ways to experience love and the divine. But, we also don't proselytize. We stand with and defend the oppressed and those in need. We fight for a more just and equitable society for everyone. We don't think our faith is a virtue in doing good. We just get on with doing good because it is the right thing to do.
The reason scared or cruel people need to claim God's authority is because ultimately they know, and society tells them there is no good in the harm and oppression of others. So, they claim God made them do it. That makes it all the easier to demonize the other because they can believe the devil made them be the other. "God made them do it." Or, "The devil made them do it." It all comes down to blaming external anything rather than the horribleness of humanity.
If religion never existed, humans would still be unbelievably horrible to other humans. And, it would still be our responsibility to challenge horribleness and educate our fellow humans in the inclusive valuing of all humanity.
