Any other Battlestar Galactica Fans?

If you haven't figured it out by now, you will probably come close to being able to figure out my age by the time I finish this...

I was in high school when the first Battlestar Galactica show aired. With that show you knew who the bad guys were (cylons) and who the good guys were (The Galactica Fleet). With this new series, the longer it goes, the less I'm sure. There are religious parallels as well as political parallels happening within this show that really has my mind doing some serious twists and lots of thinking.

I generally don't like to watch T.V. that really makes me think, but I'm really getting in to this series. Once I got over the character changes from the original series, it got much better. So...here's what I'm getting out of this series from this season's episodes..and that are really making me scratch my head.

Religious parallels: In the opening episode, Baltar has been led to another section of the ship by people who apparently see him as a messiah. He is unshaven and wrapped in a tattered blanket. The visual image is that he is somewhat "Christ-like." The "worshipers" and Baltar believe in only one God as do the cylons. The rest of the fleet worship 12 gods (which just happen to be the Greek Gods of mythology). One could almost consider the Galactica fleet as worshiping pagan Gods. In any case, Baltar miraculously heals a little boy. He prays to his God that his life be taken instead of the boy. Later in the episode he is faced with the possibility of his own death. He is asked by the cylon (number six) who resides in his head whether he is willing to die to save the child. He states he will sacrifice his own life. He has his throat cut, but not enough to kill him as he is saved himself. From this point forward we continue to see more parallels to him and Jesus and Jesus' journey to gain followers and preach the gospel. In this last episode the Aries worshipers destroy the home of Baltar and his followers. Essentially, he and his followers begin their persecution and ridicule for their beliefs.

Political parallels: With Baltar and his followers claiming religious persecution, President Roslin attempts to "protect" Baltar and his followers by separating them, not allowing them to have more than 12 followers (another religious parallel - 12 disciples) together in any one single location, and by suspending their rights to assembly. While she attempts to suspend the civil liberties of these individuals, Lee Adama forces a vote. In any case, President Roslin is trying to push this through under the guise of protecting the fleet. There are those in the U.S. that believe President Bush has attempted to do something similar with regards to the supposed suspension of civil liberties and surveillance of terrorist communications in this country.

Now - here's my quandary - the cylons must be evil since they are robots, not of flesh, and they destroyed all of humanity and they are chasing down the remainder of the fleet in order to destroy the last of humanity. The cylons believe that humans are imperfect and need to be destroyed. The cylons believe in one God and that those who worship multiple Gods are worshiping false idols. So, their beliefs parallel Judaism, and with Baltar being portrayed as a messiah, this is similar to Christians. The Galactica soldiers are beginning to take on similarities to the Roman soldiers in that they are enforcing the laws of the fleet as they relate to Baltar and his followers.

Baltar just told his followers that God loves them all because they are perfect. Whereas, our God loves us all because of our imperfections and therefore the reason he sacrificed his own son for our sins and imperfections. More of those mixed messages in this show.

Is this show attempting to bash Christians and Jews through such symbolism? I really can't tell any more. Or, am I just thinking way too much?