If you are an atheist, but lets say you had to join one

But the gods, should they exist, have nothing to do with your personal enlightenment. Only you can achieve that. The Buddha would not object to any God(s) you love, you can worship and honor him or her anyway you wish.

As he saw things, the Buddha understood no one can reverse their past mistakes (or sin), nor avoid repeating most of them again. That’s suffering for many people and they beat themselves up about to point of their self loathing comes out as bad behavior. For some folks sin, even thought they are fully aware of sinning, can’t help but fall into temptation due to the human weaknesses all of us labor under. For the most scrupulous, avoiding temptation of sin is near impossible. And then there are those who lie to themselves about their spiritual frailties, thinking they are morally superior to others. 

From my own reading of the Gospel accounts is they are treatises on love the Buddha would have supported. But the vast sum of Christianity, all taken together, has bitterly failed Jesus because the hatred expressed by the Body drowns out the love of the Holy Spirit.

This is no indictment of you. You as a mature adult know when your actions are done out of love or out of hate. Only you know your true self. I disagree with you most of time, but I don’t believe you act from hatred here, the only place I know you from. So, Merry Christmas, peace and goodwill.