I appreciate your response! That is a great summary of the traditional reading. I have a feeling, however, that if you were to read those same Bible stories in a different context, you'd see pretty clearly that the God character really fits the role of an evil tyrant quite perfectly. For example, switch out "God" for "Zeus" in the same stories. You'll find this fictional character Zeus demanding utter devotion, giving specific instructions for how to enslave others, regularly giving the go-ahead to slaughter innocent people including children, allowing powerful men to take hundreds of wives, etc. etc. Applying modern morality, there's no way to get around the reading that Zeus is a really horrible character. And the fact that he constantly claims "I am love," despite his actions, only makes him all the more sinister.