The old testament strongly suggests option 2

What you are referring to is the devil. God has given us the freedom to be the architects of our own path. The devil is the origin of suffering. There is a constant fight for balance. God is the love the joy the inspiration. If you have more of those than than suffering in your lifetime, then you win.

I understand where you're coming from, but God created Satan. Pinning evil on Satan is like telling a gunshot victim that their assailant didn't shoot them--the gun did.

Besides, the flood, sodom and gomorrah, torturing Job, telling Abraham to murder his son, etc. were all straight up love, joy and inspiration from God.

Even now when it seems like the world has been taken over by demons from hell, I still manage to find things to be greatfull for. Even in the ugliest of times I still find beauty in the universe. I don’t expect everyone to understand, even after all if the people I’ve lost, the terrible shit I’ve been through and my country has been through, I’m happy to be alive and I have hope. Just lucky I guess.

If believing in God enriches a person's life then it's difficult not to call it a value-add. Positivity with no downside is a win any way you slice it.

There is a lot of fake Christianity going around. I’m so tired of the fake stuff.

That's why I tend to look askance at the idea that any "sincerely held belief" is valid. It can be valid to the person who holds it, but my sincerely believing Jesus was a vampire doesn't entitle me to be considered a Christian by anyone else.

Just for example, politicians saying if Jesus had an AR15 he wouldn’t have been crucified by the Roman’s.

I strongly doubt Jesus would approve of the Vatican if he were to come back today. Guilded pillars just don't seem like his style.

Jesus face palm!

Hallelujah! Boiled, baked or fried, they're all God.