I hope I am not opening a can of worms here but I have a genuine desire to explore the teachings of god but have no idea where to even begin this journey.  I grew up in an essentially religion free household.  My parents were not against religion, it was just never something that was brought up or talked about in anyway.

I understand religion is a deeply personal experience and I don’t want to make this a my flavor of “x” is better than yours.  However, for those of you who came to religion later in life how did you decide where to begin?  What version of the Bible is considered to be the one to read, if there is one? How did you decide that the church you belong to was the one for you? Did you visit several local churches and pick based on some set of criteria? What made you follow the sect you eventually decided upon? How did you decide to bring religion into your life?

Sorry for the blast of questions, I feel like there is so much to learn and so many questions to ask but I don’t know if I am even asking the right questions I am so ignorant to the whole thing.  I appreciate any insight any of you may have.

I would recommend a DVD set by Dr. Chuck Missler, "The Bible in 24 Hours". It has 24 one hour bible expositions.
It may be a good start point. Can be ordered from khouse.org
It covers both the Old & New Testaments. It is informative, and may help guide your study.

Excellent choice.

I would recommend non denominational and anything from John MacArthur. Also the NIV study bible.

I don't think there is a more important question for each of us to ask. Congrats on starting down this road.

There is a short book called More than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell that was helpful to me in my 30s.

And, if you want a place to start in the Bible, I recommend the book of John.

I here you, OP.

Wasn’t at all religious from age 5, when my family moved to California.

Up to age 40, I didn’t realize it at the time,  but I was actually on a path towards my faith all along, without being “religious” for 35 years.

I only see the footsteps along that path now, as I look back on my life.

Today, my faith has strengthened me; it has made me a better person and a better father and husband.  Through Him, I know and accept myself as never before.  I’m more calm and less afraid; I know I have all that I need.

Keep the questions coming; there are always questions (my faith has helped me to partly understand and accept the “mystery” in faith).

The faithful here on this forum are a good bunch.

God meets you where you are. This means a LOT of directions to go in. Different Churches, different Bibles, different denominations, Synods etc. It can be overwhelming and your question is very valid. Try some different Church's and services. Visit with Pastors and Priests if you feel up to that. Check out different Bibles online and see what clicks for you. Don't be put off if you don't feel like what you're trying is for you, just keep looking. I'd bet you'll know when you find a place you feel is for you. It can really be fun if you decide to make it an adventure. God will welcome you wherever, just keep moving towards Him. It's a glorious feeling to find your home.

Get a Bible and read it front to back. You bring up good questions almost everyone asks.

Try going to a site such as Biblegateway.com, pick one translation, and read any book. Then switch translations and read the same book.

Maybe start by comparing NKJV to NIV. Get a feel for those two, then try more versions; again reading the same book.

Imho, the most important thing to do right now is read The Bible. At some point during your reading you might want to ask Jesus into your life. Ask Him for guidance. Ask God's forgiveness in Jesus' name when it feels right. Read and pray. Pray and read.

BTW, I don't look at my relationship with The Lord as religion. It's a personal relationship with my Creator. A living and loving relationship. No purer love have I ever felt.

I can't speak to your later in life question as I have always been a believer, a Christian and a member of Lutheran denominations. Reading the Bible is good, however I suggest starting at the Gospel of John. Then Matthew. I would search for a church, one that teaches only from the Bible, the concepts that are clearly presented in it. There isn't any secret meanings or obscure code. Talk friends who attend local churches and visit churches. If there are rituals or teaching that seems peculiar, ask them for the Biblical basis and critique it in scripture. The Bible is the inspired Word of God and is all we need to experience His will for us. As you search, keep your heart open to hear Him speaking to you, both as to which path to take and which one to flee. Ask Him for guidance. He does provide it and when you realize it, it is wonderful.

Thank you all for the insights, clearly I have a lifetime of learning ahead but I should have a place to start now at least.  I will definitely be looking at the resources you have all suggested as well as the obvious of actually reading the Bible and making decisions as they come.

Take a look at some of C.S. Lewis' non-fiction theological books...

https://www.cslewis.com/us/books/

I looked for and attended many churches throughout my life, but none seriously.  They always felt forced or not right.  Many had views I just didn't agree with.  I stumbled across religion later in life as an adult with a growing family.  I wasn't looking for it at the time.  God brought it to me.  After a lot of research and prayer, I knew this was where I was supposed to be.  It connected quite a few dots that hadn't made sense previously.  Maybe it will to you, also.

I'll answer any questions I can.

1) Does God exist?  If not, no need to proceed.  If yes, proceed.
2) Do all religions point to Him?  If not, proceed.  If yes, any reason to proceed is likely one of convenience or mere curiosity.
3) Which faith/religion/church is the right one?

The answers I arrived to were, respectively, yes, no, and the Catholic Church.

These should help get you started: http://www.peterkreeft.com/topics-more/20_arguments-gods-existence.htm

I understand that the questions above do not account for polytheism; I tried to keep it brief on purpose.

Understand that even the demons believe in God. ...James 2:19.

I’ve been a follower of Jesus for over 45 years....and “Religion” is just our attempt to figure out and please God. Religion holds no answers or truth.
What you seek Blownfour is a relationship with Jesus. It’s the only way to know God and understand your purpose in life.

So,  you just want to learn about His teachings?

Btw, if you research thoroughly I think you will see biblical Christianity is not at all like the religions of the world, nor is it so much a religion as a relationship for those who believe. I put emphasis on research because there's mountains of evidence to give good sound logical reasons to believe.

I had an epiphany in 1999 and things fell into place for me.  Over the years I've seen more corroboration.

My ignorance is likely showing here due to my lack of understanding on vocabulary and really no understanding of how I am supposed to be guided down this path. So if I am stating things incorrectly my apologies.  I don’t know how to describe it and this may come off as trite, but there is something telling me to learn more.  To know and understand the words of god.  I can’t explain why or when this transition really happened but it’s there and it’s the best way I have of describing it currently.  How I come to have a relationship with any of this is what I am hoping to gain some insight on.  Organized religion(and I see you have both pointed out that this is different than knowing god) is an enigma to me at this point.  I have had more or less zero exposure to it other than through popular culture growing up.  Sorry if I am rambling there are many thoughts that come to mind when I think about this and I don’t know how to articulate them correctly.

Well, there are many complicated thoughts that aren't easy to articulate so it's pretty normal, you will get better over time at understanding what's confusing you and how to ask the question.

Here are some simple basic steps I wold suggest you start with.

#1 If you're comfortable doing so, pray. Ask The Father to reveal to you understanding and truth in His word. (Pray to The Father in the name of The Son) If you're not comfortable doing this, at a minimum try to proceed with as honest and unbiased as possible.
#2 Read the Bible, personally I'd recommend you read Genesis and Exodus then jump to the NT and read it, twice then the O.T. (which is much longer) However if you feel pulled to anyone book, by all means read it. Here's the thing though starting out especially, realize you probably don't know much about the who, when, where, or why. So, remember context is key to understanding a lot of what's going on and why. And that's where we get into crossing over from just reading, to studying.
#3 Study, I love to point to textual criticism here. Let me stop there and explain what textual criticism is, it is NOT a theological tool, it's an academic tool that historians and scholars use to verify the content of a document. So it's not just used for religious text, but any old historical text, wither it be historical accounts of Roman times or colonial.

So that right there will take a long time to do, to read and study the text. What's the point in all that? Laying a foundation of understanding to guide how you proceed. Some textual criticism's btw only find answers in understanding how Ancient Hebrew and Ancient Greek are translated. That may or may never be relevant to you.

So how's that help you come into a relationship with God? Well, if you examine His word and come to believe it's true, certain things will follow.

He left us with a heap of evidence to support our belief which is why we have faith and hope in what is to come. We pray and talk with him, it's hard to explain but as you proceed perhaps you'll see it's a dialog. No I'm not saying we speak in pray and hear a literal voice, buuuut at some point when you see enough "coincidences" pile up, it begins to get increasingly unlikely to just be coincidence.

Keep in mind there's a ocean here, you can't drink it all in a day.

I fear perhaps I may have just plopped to much down there.... Pray, read his word, study his word, that's a real good start...  I accomplished a lot of that in the first year or so, so it's not as daunting as I may have made it sound, but there is a lot to read, study and consider. Trust me though, if you seriously seek his face, you will find Him. Be aware though, there are a lot of wolves in sheep's clothing out there. (which is another good reason for diligent study, it helps you see who they are.)

Watch the movie "The case for Christ".  Guy starts out to disprove Christ as his wife becomes a believer.

Read the parts of the bible from Christ's words and those who were with him.

I think that makes it more "bite sized", at least it has for me.

There a million different recommendations that could be given but because I just saw a copy on my shelf, let me recommend “The Story”. It’s not the Bible but it’s a summation of the Bible and it hit on things I didn’t initially see in reading the Bible itself.

My next recommendation is reading the New Testament as a whole. As to a version I’m partial to the ESV or NASB. I also use the NKJV and NLT. All are only slightly different but I appreciate the different understandings of the words and phrases.

Pray and pray often, about finding a church and your faith and salvation. I believe it will come to you.

I didn’t find religion.

God intervened and saved me.

What you are seeking is salvation my friend.

It is obtained through Jesus.

Start reading in Matthew and keep going.

Pray.

Adrian Rogers is a favorite preacher of mine. Already gone to his heavenly home, his youtube videos are available and are a rich resource for new and "experienced " Christians.

As mentioned already, The Case for Christ is time well spent.

And out of respect to whom you speak of,  don't  be afraid to capitalize God.

I made a silly boast about women at Church.  A friend told his brother who pestered me about attending his Church.  The Holy Spirit took it from there, or perhaps way earlier than that.

No solid opinion on the best version of the Bible.  I read the Christian Standard Bible and before it was updated, I read the Holman version of it.

I stuck with the Church my friend attended until I moved.  From there I was a lukewarm Christian for a number of years.  Wife started attending a Baptist Church on her own.  I'd go with her every so often.  The Holy Spirit convicted me and set me on fire for the Lord and I have been part of that family since then.

I think that covers all of your questions.

This.

Only through a personal relationship with Jesus will you know God. God is in Jesus, and Jesus is in God.

Read the Bible front to back, then focus on the New Testament. You might want to skim or skip the begats and begots in the OT for now, and refer back to them as references when needed.

This is good. I started in Matthew and went through John initially. New Testament in the Bible. I wanted to know about Jesus. His character. His efficacy. His love.

Also other good books and advice in this thread OP.