Saul's conversion came from the power of the Cross, which is a religious act (unless you wish to argue that the Cross did NOT bind anything back together).
Now, Paul was blind until Ananias laid hands on him (a religious act). Immediately afterwards he was baptized (a religious act).
Paul was a teacher and prophet but he was NOT an apostle until Acts 13:3 when the Church laid hands on him. None of his speeches are recorded (it's acts of the APOSTLES after all), until after the Church laid hands on him, he is never called an apostle until after the Church laid hands on him.
Paul shows forth the importance of religion.
Pauls conversion came by the direct intervention of Jesus Christ. The labels matter not at all. The dissection less. We however must believe by faith. Recall Jesus' words to Thomas:
Joh 20:29* Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
Do you have faith, or not? One leads to eternal life, the other to eternal damnation.
Col 2:8* Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
If Jesus blinded you, then spoke to you, you'd probably convert. But that is not the cross, that is intervention. Quit wasting your time with this and go tell a Hell bound sinner about Jesus. Please.
For those of you who are lost, BELIEVE ON JESUS CHRIST, there is no other mediator between God and you.
1Ti 2:5* For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
to the glory of God.