Why I Have Issues with Religion, But Not God...

I saw this yesterday and more information on the situation today:

http://news.yahoo.com/court-date-friday-6-charged-ny-church-beating-052707835.html#

I was appalled.  A 19-year old wanted to leave the church and the parents along with the congregation beat the poor kid to death.  The pastor just stood there while this took place for 12 hours in the church.

I beg of you - What in the hell?!

In this country of "freedom of choice", we proved day and out that some of us are no better than those in other countries.  The problem in my opinion is just the idea of religion.  Every religion is based upon a book - the Bible, Quoran, or others.  It does not matter what religion - it all revolves around a book that contains the stories provided in the past.  Religion is simply a group of people who agree upon the same interpretation.  Some are strict and others more loose with interpretation.

It is always "Good vs Evil".  While these people believe that they were doing good, I only see evil.  Beating someone who wishes not to be part of a particular religion is beyond my own logic.  It makes no sense.  It makes those people no better than the ISIS terrorists in the other parts of the world.

Is this what God truly intended?  I would like to think not.  Then, again, I evaluate all that goes on in this world and wonder "Why?"  

I can understand why a good many people are not really atheists, but agnostic.  You get a group of people together with a particular belief and they can go absolutely nuts.  There is no other way to really put it.  This is just insane.  To make matters worse, those same people will claim that they did their deeds in the name of God.  

Someone told me that in Iceland, if someone commits murder, the person is sent to a mental institution.  The reasoning is that in order to kill someone, you must be mentally insane.  No one with any compassion or reason would do that.  I actually have to agree with that.  

If you find yourself condemning the atrocities in the Middle East, make sure that what you are doing here is not equal to that.  Otherwise, you are just as wrong as they are.