[Brad1970]

I get the feeling that you were, from a young age, were taught "man's view of how to be a good Christian". Those are my words & I'll elaborate in a minute...Sounds like your parents had you on the right path or at least tried to. I don't know much about Lutherans or confirmation. I assume confirmation is the same as baptizing which is what my denomination uses. Baptizing without accepting Jesus as your personal savior is pretty much worthless in regard to eternal salvation. I'm Ok with the fact that your folks wished to stay non-denominational. As I've said before, it's not about "joining a church", it's about a personal relationship with Christ.

Now, about my comment, "man's view of how to be a good Christian"...IMHO, in today's world too many pastors, priests, churches, deacon's, church elders, etc get so tied up in tradition, rites of passage & "you all should act this way" mentalities...that they totally miss the message of Jesus Christ. They don't preach enough on Jesus & his Word. I'm not saying all, but some. I have seen & experienced the stodigy, old, conservative churches where half the people are asleep or not paying attention. I hate to say it but Jesus wasn't there!!! The message was the same every week. Those type churches literally sit on their haunches & do nothing for the greater good. Oh, they'll sing & worship & nod their heads but in the end, they file out of church & point their fingers at the rest of the world for sinning. OTOH, some pastors, priests, churches, etc preach a new, upbeet personal-relationship-with-Jesus message. They're fired up, they're doing their best to spread the word & not make you ashamed because you're a sinner. Everybody's a sinner.

I may be wrong but it sounds like you either flat out rebelled against religion or somebody tried to "beat you over the head" with a Bible & it put a sour taste in your mouth which in turn caused you to seek answers elsewhere. Sorry for the ramble.