Meta: Thoughts on Paladins

Paladins are really cool. A lot of people dislike them because they're seen as being "moral police" for the rest of the party. And to an extent, the rules are written to support that. Paladins have to be Lawful Good. They must always act in the best interests of their deity. They are held accountable not just for their actions, but even for the actions of the rest of the party. And quite frankly, most people find that to be pretty dumb. And I don't really blame them.
But there's another way to look at paladins. They always have to abide by the higher power of their deity - but why does that always have to be Lawful Good? I always envision paladins as being above the law, and meting out justice and serving the world in their own way. If there's an evildoer, the Paladin doesn't want to spend their time going through the legal channels and battling them in court. The Paladin wants to cut them in half with their sword. And if they don't lose their powers for doing so, that's all the evidence anybody in the world needs to support their decision.
Paladins are sometimes described as having the "Stick Up Their Own Ass" class feature. And yes, it sometimes does seem that way. They have to be uptight about everything or else they lose all their own class features. But personally I find that silly. If the Paladin has their own way of dealing with evil, then they should be encouraged to do so. Their deity empowered them for a reason. It was specifically to let them do that which nobody else in the world ever could. If they're bound by transient laws, then the entire purpose is ruined. Paladins cease to be anything other than a bureaucracy.
What I find most fascinating is how a Paladin becomes what they are. Typically, I treat them as being trained from a very young age in an isolated monastery to become living embodiments of their deity. But just recently, a player in a new campaign I started on Sunday suggested the idea of a "Paladin Training Camp" where they are trained as adults after proving themselves as warriors. I rather like the idea, since it allows paladins to be actual people rather than automatons that always play by the rules. He actually said that his character flunked out of paladin training camp, and has a hatred of authority because of it.