For me, Christianity is the belief in a loving, compassionate God who realizes that my mistakes are simply growing pains. It is lack of judgment and unconditional forgiveness. It is universal acceptance and love, regardless of how many times you abuse it or take it for granted or leave it for last or forget about it. It replaces the old covenant of the Law and Penance with a new one of forgiveness, of penance paid by Jesus instead of by you.

It sounds to me that like hundreds of millions of others in the world who grew up in a "Christian" church, your church and religious environment focused almost exclusively on unimportant (and often false/fabricated) aspects of Christianity. Religious institutions are driving people away from Christianity by the millions. It's really sad.

I'm glad you're leaving Religion rather than leaving God. All too often people mistake them for the same thing. I just want you to know that Christianity as it is described in the New Testament is drastically different from what the Church or Religion says it is.

I pretty much stopped going to church when I came to college, but I still consider myself a Christian. I find it much easier to experience, learn about, and communicate with God just by praying by myself, by experiencing and pondering the world and the universe, and by reading hymns, poetry, and the Bible by myself.

I'm glad you're dissociating God from 'judgement and guilt' and from the ridiculous mainstream Christian communities within which one must walk on eggshells. It's ridiculous, and I don't believe those have anything to do with God. Good luck with your spiritual journey! God is good.

Out of curiosity, which particular sect did you grow up in?