It does ring stupidly doesn't it.
They would have us believe that God would condemn us just to turn around and die for us.
Stupid is as stupid thinks.
It is more sad than funny in the sense that Christians do not look at the immorality of substitutionary atonement and the more enlightened Christian thinkers see that policy as what will kill Christianity.
I would like to reply to this. I can only speak from my perspective so this is IMO.
I take the name christian but I am in a non dual experience. I don't see an issue with the direct line that Jesus drew from himself, to the father, to us. If you believe that Jesus was God you confirm his non dual existence and by extension we are to follow his path as he described his path as "the way".
His death and being a scape goat has nothing to do with God's need for us to be a certain way before we are accepted. We are always accepted unless we wilfully reject God. The death of jesus/god/us on the cross is the bridge that some of us need to find our way back to our path. I don't see it as a requirement on God's part that we must do something. It is a mental requirement for many of us, or at least for me. I have done things that I would never be able to forgive myself for, to live my life in self hate and loathing renders my life pointless. The chance to just let it go as real or unreal as the world may see it has worked for me.
The superlative of Christianity is this invisible bridge that I was able to cross to get back to the place I needed to be to find meaning in my existence. Looking back I can't see the bridge now but without it I would never have gotten here.
So yes I needed Jesus Christ and his death for me to mentally be able to find my way here. It may appear as a catch 22 that the very center of my faith is also not the centre, for me this is the mystery of Christianity.
Perhaps many Christians would disagree with me or not want me to use their word for their religious beliefs but we just don't need more labels.
I am impressed with the gnostic beliefs personally, I am seeking still, your posts have given me reason to take in as much as I can find. Both the OP and you DL