How people view God is often influenced by their experience of authority, especially parental authority.
Some parents can be quite harsh and tyrannical, always pushing and rarely encouraging. Some parents can be quite the opposite, permissive but not providing much in the way of structure or support. Other parents can be altogether absent. The best parents however tend to challenge their kids but in the context of a loving, nurturing relationship.
The picture the bible paints of God (and the Messiah) is of one who is both loving and challenging, of a God who sets high standards but is actively engaged in our lives, seeking to transform society and ourselves for the better.
I think it’s important to challenge versions of God that reflect dysfunctional authority experiences more than a Christ centred reading of the Bible.
Curious Christian 