Religious beliefs need to stop.

[Sword of Christ]

Reading the Bible without supplements or rose-colored glasses should not be necessary if the Bible truly is the "good book".

It's a very difficult thing to understand and there are of course various things in there that an atheist would like to bring up as evidence that God is actually pure evil and all that business. If you're not prepared to encounter that then it may well "fix you up" for reason, logic and pure science or however you see it. But then it also has the power to "fix up" an atheist and give him the delusion of theism (as you think of it) if they were to seriously study it and understand it within the context. So you should read it yourself, again with a scholarly guidebook because it's difficult stuff to deal with. Before you do this you may need to free your mind a little from your little naturalistic box, else you will get nothing from it at all.

Even you admit that that's simply not true, which is why you must utter suggestions such as "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis.

It is true and Mere Christianity is a very good book to read, though a little dated. Also read Timothy Kellers Reason for God which is cracking book for atheists. It ought to get your juices flowing, if your minds open enough and not already 100% made up. Though I'm under the impression it has been in your case but for anyone else who is interested this is the stuff to look at. Along with the Bible itself of course, Old Testament included. By all means look at the other religious texts as well.