Zach, you make a lot of interesting points. One thing I found very interesting is that you have an implicit belief underlying all your others: that you get to decide which parts of the Bible to believe, and how to believe it.
For example, do you follow all the rules and regulations laid out for the Israelites in the Old Testament? All the various sacrifices of animals, and fasting on certain days, and so forth? You say that God is a God of love; but in many places in the Old Testament, he doesn't seem particularly nice. There are even ambiguities within the New Testament. What was the role of Mary Magdalene? Did Jesus have older brothers (as is stated) or was Mary really a true virgin (and they were stepbrothers)? Why did Jesus call himself, again and again, "the Son of Man", and never call himself "the Son of God"? (Sure he referred to God as his father many times, but just about every Christian does that.) Jesus seems to be very disapproving of moneylending; is the whole business immoral? What about the gospels of Thomas and Judas? I'm sure this is all stuff you've heard before.
It's hard to interpret many passages of the Bible unambiguously, which is why there are so many sects of Christians. Each sect has found its own satisfactory answers to these questions.
Most Christians I've met implicitly believe that they can interpret the Bible in a way that feels most wholesome to them. Personally I think it's an excellent outlook. A personal relationship with the divine, with occasional reference to religious texts, seems to be a healthy combination.  |