Interesting story, sir. I've pretty much felt the same way about God in the past. I was raised in the church, but never really got the "message". As a boy my mother dragged us all to church. The only way I could get out of it was to puke on my Sunday best clothes 5 minutes before we had to leave the house.

I too thought just be good to people and leave the organized part of religion to others. I've come to learn that a "church" is not a building or a pastor it's the people. Religion is all about community regardless of the entree you pick from the buffet you wrote about. A community of people that know each other have a bond and meeting at regular times and doing things together develops that bond. Then when things in your life go to crap you have peeps that are there for you.

Any relationship is a journey with ups and downs and the closing and opening of doors to its various possibilities. That's the way it has been for me. Maybe for you too.
By the way, there is not one single verse in the Bible that says you can't drink alcohol. However, there are over 200 references that warn about drinking too much.