Woodman,
I too was a Cathoic student and what not.
I too came to that same conclusion, until I found out what it means to throw Religion away.
I have a personal relationship with Our Lord Jesus Christ.
I welcomed Him into my heart and life.
It is completely different than what I knew to be CATHOLIC..or any other RELIGION.
I am Christian as a follower of Christ Jesus.
I attend a Non Denomination Church (Calvary Chapel Antelope Vally)
Our pastor is only a man that is led by God to help us learn what GOD has for us through HIS Word. Not the pastors own interpitation of the bible.
We read the bible and study the Word, verse by verse, line by line, scripture by scripture. What it means in Hebrew, Greek and Airamaic and what the triditions and times where when they were writen.
I will tell you it made all the differance in my Walk with Jesus.
I don't rely on my pastor to teach me, (although it is nice to have someone else help you along) I try to read and study the scritures daily for myself. I don't take any man's word for it, I search the scriptures to verify or dismiss what a pastor has said.
I had a bad church break up because of the prior pastors inturpritation of the WORD. I went to that pastor and tried to share with him that the direction that he was heading wasn't what the bible says. I got kindly shown the door.
A month later the rest of the congrigation found out what I already had known and they asked him to leave.
I don't expect you to run back to church or to grab your bible and dive into it right after you read this.
But I do hope that I planted a seed and that you would consider that not a single man (or religion) is capable of living a perfect life and no man should be completly trusted with an inturpritation of GOD's Word.
OK off the soap box I come.
-Shookie