A compelling article, Dan. There was another piece today with an even more stunning perspective: https://medium.com/belover/a-very-old-guide-to-true-christianity-was-found-in-a-fish-market-in-1436-f06271f24ac5. To really drive these home someone--like you--needs to confront the messianic narrative. Jesus says He is the son of man, nothing more (possibly to Herod, but debatable). As long as this is the tip of the spear of Christianity's spread it will engender the sense of attending church, doing rituals, and holding arbitrary beliefs as the essence of Jesus' teachings.