There are people who have the tendency to try to force their views and beliefs onto others. These people are convinced that their way is the only way and that their beliefs are the only truths. They create conflict not so much because they discuss their views, but by trying to convert or coerce others of a different belief to agree with them.

Religion can be a source of enlightenment and spiritual support for many people, but it can also be abused and used as a means to control. If you look at history, you will see that religion has been used to coerce people who were unwilling to change their spiritual beliefs. In the past, we had the Christian Crusades and the Medieval Inquisition, which were carried out against various groups whose views opposed that of the Pope. Persecution in the name of God included political adversaries, non-Abrahamic religions, as well as Christian pre-protestants known as Waldensians, which are now known as Protestant and Evangelical churches, Jewish and Islamic religions. Followers of the church were told that anyone who didn’t follow the Christian beliefs were evil, heretics, demonic and so forth.

If people were to study the texts from the major religions, they would find that other than some wording, stories and practices, these religions really aren’t all that different. They all refer to the need for unconditional love, tolerance, truth, charity, selflessness, etc.

Teachers know that there is more than one way to teach a subject and more than one way to reach the correct answer. If we all accepted that, perhaps world peace could be a little closer.

Its every person’s right to choose what they believe or don’t believe and answering questions about your beliefs when asked can be helpful. Just remember that it is said that God gave mankind freedom of will. Therefore, it’s not anyone’s right to force their beliefs onto another.