Rebuttal: Our "Religion" is Our relationship with God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

What the Bible Says
If religion is so ‘evil’, then why is it used here in the Word of God?  James 1; 19-27, “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, his religion is vain. Religion that is pure and un-defiled before God and the Father is this; to care for the orphans and the widows in their afflictions and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

• Jn 14:12-15 – “Truly truly I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do because, I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name I will do it, that the Father be glorified by the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another counselor, to be with you forever, even the spirit of truth, whom the world could not receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you.” See also (Jn 14: 16-26).
• Acts 14:23 – “And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they believed.”
• Colossians 1:24 – “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions.”
• Colossians 1:18 – “He is also head of the body, the church”
• John 2:19-22 – “Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews then said, "It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?" But He was speaking of the temple of His body.  His body, which is the church, the Church is the fulfillment of the Jerusalem temple through Christ. 
• Acts 2:41-42 – “So those who receive his word were baptized, and they were added that day about three thousand souls. And they held steadfastly, to the apostles teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.” The “prayers” is the liturgy of the Catholic Church.

What the Church Teaches

• CCC 1814: “Faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us, and that Holy Church proposes for our belief, because he is truth itself. By faith “man freely commits his entire self to God.” For this reason the believer seeks to know and do God’s will. “The righteous shall live by faith. A living faith is work[s] through charity.”
• CCC 1817: “Hope (trust) is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” (Heb 10:23) “The Holy Spirit... he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:6-7).

Religion is a relationship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit; and also with the people of God, his children. Through this relationship, we are able to become stronger in our faith, richer in our hope and mirrors of His love. 
 
“This is What the Catholic Church teaches what is meant by “Religion. You shall worship the Lord your God” (Mt 4; 10).  Adoring God, praying to him, offering the worship that belongs to him, fulfilling the vows and promises made to him are acts of the virtues of religion, which fall under obedience to the first commandment. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all you strength” (Deut 6:5) and (CCC 2133, CCC 2134). If we had to depend on our own, limited and human interpretations of that scripture; how would we ever come to know HOW to follow that commandment?
 
Bishops (episcopoi) have the care of multiple congregations and appoint, ordain, and discipline priests and deacons. They sometimes appear to be called "evangelists" in the New Testament. Examples of first-century bishops include Timothy and Titus (1Tim. 5:19–22; 2 Tim. 4:5; Titus 1:5).
Priests (presbuteroi) are also known as "presbyters" or "elders." In fact, the English term "priest" is simply a contraction of the Greek word presbuteros. They have the responsibility of teaching, governing, and providing the sacraments in a given congregation (1Tim. 5:17; Jas. 5:14–15).
Deacons (diakonoi) are the assistants of the bishops and are responsible for teaching and administering certain Church tasks, such as the distribution of food (Acts 6:1–6). 
Thus, in the apostolic age Paul sometimes described himself as a diakonos ("servant" or "minister"; cf. (2Cor. 3:6, 6:4, 11:23; Eph. 3:7).

In Other Words
So to the accuser, I would tell them to read Acts in their Bible and tell me that the apostles did not have an authority. Tell me that they did not do everything they could to correct those who were preaching outside of Jesus’ endorsement. As Catholics, we believe that Religion (to bind), is to be bound to God “to be tied or linked to God,” and His Divine Institutes, 1 Tim 3:14-16. Not to be held in bondage to the Devil. We are freed from the devil’s grasp through the blood of Jesus.
The Old Testament scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees, are not the same leaders as the New Testament leaders. As Catholics we do not follow the Old Testament leaders; we follow the New Testament leaders – Jesus and his Twelve.
 
All Christians agree that on the third day Jesus rose from the dead. Forty days later, after teaching and instructing the Divine Institutes to His apostles, He ascended to the Father in heaven. Jesus had to ascend so that the Holy Spirit, in its fullness, could come upon the apostles. Ten days later (fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection) the Holy Ghost descended unto the apostles, which we know as Pentecost (the birthplace of the Catholic Church). The Holy Ghost filled and set fire to the hearts of the apostles, giving them the authority, bravery and the divine inspiration to embark on the journey of building the church and spreading the good news. Many Protestants have the notion that somehow the church is invisible, it's me and Jesus thing only, this idea is not what the Apostles taught. Jesus obviously established a visible church, the community of his followers; it's not me and Jesus only, but us and Jesus.  The apostles spread this news via written and oral teachings. These written and oral teachings compose my RELIGION to which I am bound, The Catholic Church. Is anyone above this?
 
Paul says it clearly here:

• Ephesians 4:11-13 - “And he gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of the Church.”  

What I’m pointing out here is the Church’s doctrines and teachings on apostolic succession are Biblical. In Acts chapter 1 you will learn as leader of the flock Peter, prays for guidance and appoints Matthias to the office of bishop.  The new leaders of the faith were appointed by the proper authority to ensure they had orthodox instruction in order to teach the true gospel. True, over time some cultural and societal influences (Mardi Gras / Halloween) creep in you can see this already happening during the first century of the church and were somewhat permitted. But the Church does not teach these secular customs as its doctrine. Go to the source and see for yourself what the Church teaches, it does not teach voodoo, magic, horoscopes, superstitions and the like these are an abomination to God. She does not teach you can earn your way to heaven! The Church actually teaches against this type of stuff.  
 
Other Scripture to Consider:

• 1Cor 11; 1-2 – Here, Paul is a model or example of Christ, and so telling us to hold tight to the traditions he handed down. Our Catholic religion is apostolic tradition and sacred tradition - not man’s tradition.
• Mt 28:18-20 – Jesus delegates all power to His apostles. 
• Mt 18:17-18 – Apostles seen as the church and given the power/authority to forgive sins. 
• Acts 1:15 –26 Peter prays to the Father for a replacement to be sent for Judas’ apostolic ‘office.’ What does the word ‘office' mean to you?
• Acts 2:25 – another reference to apostolic ministry.
• 1Tim 4:6 – “…for then it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. If you put these instructions before the brethren, you will be a good minister of Chris Jesus, nourished on the words of the faith and of the good doctrine in which you have followed." This is handing down the faith; working and suffering for the Church the Body of Christ; laying on of hands passing on the authority.
• 2Thess 2:15 – “…hold fast to the traditions whether oral or by letter.”
• 2Thess 3:6 – “We instruct you brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to shun any brother who conducts himself in a disorderly way and not according to the tradition they received from us.”