You're pretty much on target

Aside from one detail: the need for God to sacrifice his own son.

This makes absolutely no sense in any respect of concepts if God is the one who created the world and us in the first place and has complete control of everything.

It makes no sense historically either, insofar as the thought behind the concept originated in early Christian groups.

However, to properly understand that concept, the modern Christian doctrines need to be put aside on the shelf briefly, so as not to clutter up a clear and fresh look at what was going on in those ancient mythologies (of which Christianity was essentially a variant).

You'll find in ALL of the ancient mythologies, there are power struggles between various gods. Even with the most powerful of gods -say Hercules for instance- there's an element this god cannot quite control and so he has to engage in some kind of struggle to overcome a lesser evil force.

Well ok ......... maybe the Christian or Hebrew God wasn't just a knockoff of other religions' gods -as detractors so often and "brutally" point out. Even if there are plenty of parallels, the early believers really BELIEVED they had something new, unique and different. Maybe Christianity was even believed to be a NEW revelation for a new age.

The concept was still the same however: a power struggle in the heavens between one great good god and some trouble-maker gods. Essentially, this dio-system struggle was reflected in the earth below as well. There was always a parallel reckoned.

If you then put aside the Gospel accounts briefly -to the shelf- and look at ONLY the epistles and the book of Acts (excepting the very first part on the ascension) ........ as the ORIGINATING source of Christianity .....

You find this concept more clearly revealed. One of the most defining statements comes from Paul's epistle to the Corinthians ....

[ 1 Corinthians 2:6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, that come to nought:
7 but we speak the hidden wisdom of God in a secret, that God foreordained before the ages to our glory,
1 Corinthians 2:8 Which none of the rulers of this age knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. ]

Who were these rulers? gods ..... in charge of departments. They were essentially "tricked". They believed that if they killed the "Lord of glory," THEY would gain the upper hand. They didn't know that he would come back to life.

Imagine how it would work in the real world. A treasonous group of high officials plot and kill the ruling President. Then ......... 3 days later, he shows up on the scene ALIVE again! (Imagine what would have happened, had JFK been able to rise from the dead! Do you suppose history would have unfolded as it did? No way. With his proven invincibility, he would have FOUND his plotters and dealt with them in a way they deserved.)

So .... like ...... these "rulers" couldn't have been the chief Priests and Pilate from the Gospels ....... because, in the gospels they had been forewarned by Jesus himself. The stone wouldn't have been placed in front of the tomb to prevent his getting out IF there was no concern about him getting out of that tomb. The Gospel stories were written in later to provide the "historical" need of a later, more carnal church.

The earliest concept was of a cosmic Jesus Christ and he was killed in order to switch the power base ........ and then failed because they hadn't reckoned on him rising from the dead. His counterpart hadn't openly appeared on the earth at that time as yet .......... but was expected to, any minute.

-Vince