Religion

[rand0m0mg]

I'm a Protestant Christian. It is part of my culture and it has helped build the civilization that I know and love.

Protestant Christendom is (pretty much)  the rejection of religious hierarchies of priesthood and the belief that religion is something personal, developed through your own knowledge and interpretation of the bible - through the ability each individual has to reason.

"developed through your own knowledge and interpretation of the bible"

So why believe in a book if you're gonna interpret it however you please to begin with?
Basically just using shite quotes whenever it suits you?

Please forgive me if my interpretation of how this works is flawed, but if it ain't that's even dumber than being a classic christian.
To be fair, most 'classic' christians I've encountered on the internet only interpret the bible the way they want to interpret it anyway pushing their own personal agendas and ignoring half the shit in it.

Protestants believe that faith is something personal that should not be pushed upon other people. There is no need for "using quotes etc whenever it suits you"(since (much of) the bible should not be taken literally), its more about finding inspiration - reading the bible and knowing that the civilization we live in should not be taken for granted; its built on a christian foundation and the christian faith can be developed and reformed. 

"Knowledge" is obviously based upon the area and environment you live in, and "interpretation" cannot be whatever you want; you obviously need to use your brain(which is why i stressed: "through your ability to reason"). 

The bible is a collection of stories developed in an environment much different from what we have today - yet the stories can be seen metaphorically and hence still have much relevance. The bible is "the book of books" meaning it contains knowledge and archetypes that the west have inherited from an ancient time during a developmental stage of our civilization - it lays the groundwork for western literature and our judicial system etc. The bible is far too important to be replaced, though it can be developed(and it has).

"Using quotes" to push your belief is a way that christianity has been corrupted and you see this in many places where religious hierarchies are the rule(America(although America used to be Protestant), Russia e.t.c.), protestants PROTESTED against the corrupt Catholic faith and reformed christianity so that it fit well with classical liberal(enlightenment) societies.