I dont hate religion....people use it for comfort and I get that. My granda believes that him attending church everyday helped him fight bowel cancer. He believed God was on his side. That gave him strength to fight. He believes my nana is waiting for him in heaven. That gives him strength everyday to go on, although that strength is weakening and he wants to be with her more now than ever now, but believing he will see her again gives him strength.
When people use their faith in the correct way it can be a good thing.
But so many people use it as a weapon to spread hate, fear and to control.
I'm not religious at all. I don't believe in God....any God.
I'm in quite a similar position as yourself , though baptised Roman catholic I've not practised for years bar funerals etc.
If it gives strength and comfort to those in need of it then whatever works for you that's great.
I do see it as a control mechanism.
I'll admit to sometimes feeling a little jealous of those who claim to have " found God " those people are always buzzing out their heads and I'd like that feeling though I dont see that happening to me personally.
I believe I'm quite spiritual without learning towards any religion.
That spirituality is much stronger when psilocybin is involved lol.
I just think that religion can hinder as much as it can help.
Hence wars that have been in the name of religion for hundereds if not thousands of years.
I see our planet Earth as the one living organism that has many different life forms all contributing to its evolution ( except for us , humans).
As agent Smith in the matrix says, " humans are like another living organism on this planet, a virus. We consume every resource til its exhausted then move on and do the same thing "
I often wonder if we are even of this world originally.
All other species have a balanced relationship with the planet , we dont , we just consume