I think one of the most remarkable things about religion, and Christianity in particular, is how much it has changed over the years. Looking at all of your research it is obvious that there are mountains of "evidence" or philosophies for numerous different religious sects. Even within Christianity blood has been shed for dogmatic differences. Saying that medieval Christians didn't know the word of Jesus or how to handle heretics seems awkward when trying to reconcile with the purpose of Jesus' coming to Earth and the bible being written. Also curious is the constant back and forth between natural discovery and the church's position, with the church mostly rejecting initial claims, only to backtrack them as a gift from God later when their benefits have been proven. Why does God's position flip-flop so much and why are his right hand men so reluctant to accept the way the world works, if God created this universe wouldn't his primary vassals be more open to the truth than not?
I make this point because there has been much back and forth on this topic and it has been very intelligent and quite obviously well thought out. It was very interesting to read. However one can make the argument that the amount of change and information available to point to religious progress invalidates your argument of the bible's worth as any kind of divine guide. And the church knew very well how to deal with heretics, and were quite capable of knowledge of Jesus' word; I highly recommend you read the Malleus Maleficarum to see what happened to people who questioned the church's authority.
The only way to know you've made the right choice is to put your answer through the toughest tests of logic and evidence you can find, if your answer stands up then you can reasonably assume you're at least on the right track, and then you keep testing it, forever and ever without a bias as to keeping it or leaving it if it turns out wrong.
I make this point because there has been much back and forth on this topic and it has been very intelligent and quite obviously well thought out. It was very interesting to read. However one can make the argument that the amount of change and information available to point to religious progress invalidates your argument of the bible's worth as any kind of divine guide. And the church knew very well how to deal with heretics, and were quite capable of knowledge of Jesus' word; I highly recommend you read the Malleus Maleficarum to see what happened to people who questioned the church's authority.
The only way to know you've made the right choice is to put your answer through the toughest tests of logic and evidence you can find, if your answer stands up then you can reasonably assume you're at least on the right track, and then you keep testing it, forever and ever without a bias as to keeping it or leaving it if it turns out wrong.
My religion is the understanding of my world. My god is the energy that underlies it all. My worship is my constant endeavor to unravel the mysteries of my religion. 
