Religious Investigations

I have decided to attend a different church every week and write about my experiences. This decision follows a two-year period of scripture reading, religious research, and diverse podcasts/ blogs.
First, let me provide some background to myself. I was born into an LDS family; my parents being new converts to mormonism. Although I was baptized at eight, received the priesthood (deacon, teacher, priest), and attended seminary in high school, I don't think I ever really had faith.
When I was younger, I just wanted to please my parents (as any child would) but didn't have my own testimony or faith. As a teen-ager, I was less obedient but was forced to adhere to my father's religious tenets.
At the age of 16, I stopped attending Sunday services (thanks to my part-time job at McDonald's) and rarely attended seminary classes. Early in my senior year of high school, I joined the Army and left for boot camp soon after my eighteenth birthday.
For years, I did not even think about religion. I was not religious when I was in Desert Storm, not when I got married, ant not when either of my sons were born. For me, religion was just a non-issue.
It wasn't until I was recently stationed in California (4 years ago) when I had discussions with christian friends that it occurred to me that I really didn't know what they believed. I had assumed that most christians had similar theologies to mormons but quickly realized that was not true. From a theological perspective, mormons are not christians.
When I spent 4 months stationed in Texas without my family, I developed insomnia and thought if I read the bible it would put me to sleep. However, I became intrigued with what I read and finished the whole book in a couple of months. The interesting thing is that book had the opposite effect than one would think. I became aware of inconsistencies and untruths that baffled me. "How could others so readily believe these things?" I began to wonder.
When I confided in my mother my opinions about the bible, she said that if I read the book of mormon I would understand the bible as the word of god. She was wrong…
In the interest of time, I downloaded an audio version of the mormon scriptures to my iPod so I could listen while at work. I remember almost weeping as I listened when I realized that everything I had been taught as a kid was an obvious lie. Although painful, I managed to listen to the entire book of mormon in a couple of weeks.
That sparked a deeper interest in religion; specifically mormonism, islam, christianity and judaism (I’ve even looked into buddhism and hinduism). In all fairness, I studied and researched these religions from all perspectives. I have listened to countless sermons and discussions from many faiths online and have considered all opinions seriously.
In the end, my years of agnosticism and apathy gave way to atheism and skepticism. Although most people view those viewpoints as negative perspectives, I see them as positive. I see reason as an asset and blind faith as a liability. I do not agree with what some atheists claim about why they don't believe. For me it is simply an understanding that there is no evidence of any god and that humans can take responsibility for their own lives without faith or false hope in the supernatural.
That brings me to the present. I will be attending a different church from different religions at least on a weekly basis. Afterwards, I will post blogs about my experiences and welcome the viewpoints of other (though I doubt anyone will be reading them). I will not judge or criticize anyone for their beliefs and will not accept judgment or criticism from others. I welcome open-minded discussion and respectfully worded opinions about theology and religion. I respect the right of everyone to worship (or not) as they see fit and I support a separation of church and state in matters of law and government.