Wanted: Your views on religion / current world / life

I wasn't brought up with a religion, but I studied religious studies and I am open to learn about each of them. I used to chat with my Grandad about 'life' way into the early hours of the morning, we'd be so lost in chat it would feel like we weren't even on this planet. Sometimes I feel lost- How is one to know what to believe- when everyone has been brought up in a certain culture, with their right and wrong, religion, experiences... How does one chose what to believe and who to ask what to believe when any one we ask on this planet will be 'biased' in a way due to their beliefs / experiences / upbringing etc.
Many of my friends are of different religions. My friends that are Sunni Muslims (I don't want to ask them) I imagine they are not for the IS but do you think it is unique to the person about how they feel about the IS? I remember reading the Qua ran and how it says how the world will eventually all be Muslim and I know my friends believed that would happen. I was dating a Muslim guy, I was always asking questions as I wanted to know as much as I could about his religion. He sometimes drunk alcohol, smoked and he was dating me, which is really not allowed. It upset me so much that he was breaking his religion and I felt like I was bad, like I was not someone he cared for, but someone he was breaking the rules for before he settled down, even though, if we stayed together, I would have considered converting to be with him. (He cared for me very much and never made me feel like that in his actions, but when we spoke about that, I found it hard to understand his thinking) I think if you have a religion you should follow it? Or can you be less strict in this day and age? Or again, is every religion and its followers unique how they each follow? He mentioned something about as long as he is a good Muslim eventually, he will be forgiven.
I want to know as much as possible about all things like this- I am constantly reading online on websites and histories and books to find out as much as possible. When people ask me why, I don't have an answer as such- I don't know where I am heading with it. But I just don't like not understanding what is happening in the world and I want to know who is who and what they want.
I also don't trust media and so many powerful people are corrupt, they have ways to make people think differently- so many times I have seen one story on the news, people sit in their homes, watch it, and have a very strong view on what they have just been told... Who is to say that is the truth?! And I can see the two sides to many things- So many English people know nothing about different groups of religions, but are more than ready to put a wrongly spelled racist face book status about how all 'of them' should get out of England- and that is embarrassing- it is ignorant and stupid. It is like any human- not all are the same, there are good and bad in all of us, surely? And yet the same can be said for some religions slating Western girls for the clothes they wear, or something that is just very different to their culture. For someone like me, who was not brought up with a religion, but who is interested and open, it gets my mind spinning. All I can think is, surely, for whatever reason, innocent people should not be killed? I know there are some strict rules to follow in some religions, but what if you are just one person, who never makes anything bad, has good intention, is open and honest- what happens to people like that? I suppose no one knows, or do they?! It depends what you believe!
I am a professional dancer and have been travelling world wide for 4 years now- I have met some amazing people from all walks of life and have many friends in many countries. Anyway, I know this is not one question with just one answer... I am looking to hear from all people of all religions, just to talk over life and the current world... because I don't have my Grandad to chat to about all these things anymore and I am interested to hear more views and beliefs and would like to understand more!