Well, this is a rather conflicting topic to me. So many things factor into this, first of all my newly discovering religion hampers the amount of knowledge I carry about it. Secondly, my family is a Proto-Catholic family. This has made me want rather desperately to shy away from the tiny differences althogether.
Believing what you want is one thing, interpreting the Bible another. The words, though always constant, will mean something different to me as each day passes. That alone makes the words of the Bible more and more comforting to me. Whether I know the specific wording or not, I know what the Bible teaches, and I know what Christ taught. He taught love and forgiveness and tolerance and peace. These four things have been making their way into my life more and more and have made me happier in uncountable and untangeable ways.
My Proto-Catholic background tells me to overlook our differences and embrace our likenesses. We both believe in Jesus Christ and His undying love. We believe He lived and performed miracles and died for us---He sacrificed for US. And to some extent I understand the following of Church rules in order to show Him our thanks. On the other hand, I understand that the Bible can be and most definately needs to be kept up with our society. I just think it's difficult for us to determine, in the moment, what, if anything, we need to "add" to the rules. Indulgences being an extreme example of this. How do we know what to add? I suppose that is up to the highest ranking members of the Church to decide.
I view the "rules" as what separates us. What creates war in His name. What divides a country for more than 1900 years, makes generation after generation on one side hate generation after generation on the other side. But I understand the purpose for the rules. I know why they're there. It's a good purpose, really it is. I just wish we humans could realize that and embrace the peace and tolerance He teaches.
Choosing to accept and/or ignore rules, well that's up to the individual. Presently I'm taking the rules in as I learn them and am attempting to integrate them into my life. Like 80s, I commit sins. Like 80s, when I realize them, I feel immediately inspired to stop performing said sin. That, to me, is such a small sacrifice compared to His sacrifice. My predicament now is that I don't know whose rules to (for lack of a better suited word) accept. "Church-hopping" is sort of what I'm doing. I don't know if Catholocism is for me. I want to be able to (for lack of a better word) choose my religion. Not choose by their rules, but by something that is unexplainable (I'm sorry for my lack of competant wording here).
I want to be more of a Christian, I really do. I have been feeling His love more and more lately and am feeling stronger and happier because of it. I am confused. I don't know the truth, I don't know who I am let alone who I am related to Christianity. I want it in my life because I know what my life was like before letting Him in, and I don't want to go back there ever again. I'm searching, but I still haven't found what I'm looking for. I am growing up now and am realizing I need to be an adult. Be that as it may, I still feel lost. I am finding my way, but it will still take time to heal my past wounds and become a better Christian. Sorry for the blathering on here, it's just so hard to stop once I've begun.