Maybe that’s why this person “hates” Religion. I grew up Baptist, and like so many other “faiths,” all the ministers I met had gone to seminary. Maybe not the same sort of seminary as Catholic priests do, since so many Protestant ministers are allowed to get married. Each of the different Protestant “religions” I went to in my life believed that they, and only they, had “the truth.” It’s all a bunch of bunk. I’d say he believes in a religion since he doesn’t go to the Church that Christ founded.
Ask him to show you where the Bible says that religion is bad. That is unbiblical. The Bible speaks favorably of religion.
I think you disengage I don’t see anything positive coming out of a discussion about the Church with this guy. My mother is similar and doesn’t believe anything that isn’t written in the bible but the problem is she interprets it to mean what she wants. I have no doubt she is saved but her judgmental attitude is going to get her a nice stay in purgatory!
Tell him that if he continues to study he’ll happen to end up agreeing with the Catholic faith. Just goes that way.
Are you sure you want a debate, and not a discussion?
Don’t debate but ask him if truth is absolute or relative. That underlined part makes me think that he believes in one truth for you and one truth for himself. God is Truth and the Bible says that the Church is the pillar and foundation of truth (1 Timothy 3:15).
Or he’s just being politically correct.
Possibly, but either way, he needs to evaluate his own answer. By getting him to admit that truth is NOT relative, then his own reply was disingenuous. Nailing down that there is absolute truth (and that it matters) kind of blows Protestantism out of the water because then the absurdity of the thousands of different denominations is spotlighted. He claims the Holy Spirit revealed the real truth to him, but so does his Methodist counterpart across the street
Let me guess - and what they do, they don’t call that “man-made” nor “religion” …
Nope, it’s been revealed to them as truth by the Holy Spirit, because they don’t need some man-made institution telling them what to think or do 
ThisDon’t debate but ask him if truth is absolute or relative. That underlined part makes me think that he believes in one truth for you and one truth for himself. God is Truth and the Bible says that the Church is the pillar and foundation of truth (1 Timothy 3:15).
I might also gently address his denominational beliefs, one at a time. Maybe start with OSAS. Ask him why he believes it is true and then counter it with what the Church teaches, all of this lovingly. He seems quite certain that his own individual, unbiased (yeah, right) study led him to believe EXACTLY what his denomination believes. I’d toss the ball back to his court, then, and instead of him challenging you on your beliefs, I’d challenge him on his. Again, all this done lovingly and charitably.
Also, he references an article that you seem to have sent him. Would you care to share that article? I might want to share it in the future
P.S. My dad says he hates “religion”, too. He uses this argument to justify not going to church at all. I find that a catch-phrase used by way too many people to justify their own wrongdoings and/or apathetical behavior toward God.
The difference is in why they’re doing it or why anyone is doing it. Are you going to church on Sunday because regulations say it’s required or are you going because you love Jesus and want to worship him? Are you praying because it is required or are you praying because you want to talk to your best friend? Are you avoiding sin because it’s a rule or are you avoiding sin because you don’t want to hurt your beloved father in heaven?
Whomever wrote this is trapped in his own ideas and enslaved to himself.