What should one do who desires to know the true religion and follow it, but lacks religious knowledge and assistance, and feels distant from Allah after many fruitless attempts?

Your feeling of being distant from Allah is a good sign and a sincere desire to learn beneficial knowledge. The internet has made it easy to obtain this knowledge, and the Islamweb site adopts the correct and moderate methodology in calling to Allah, following the path of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaah. So, adhere to it and keep company with the righteous.