First thing first. This is an opinion piece. I realize that religion is a very controversial topic but just want to say a little on my experience with it.
Religion is the belief in a supreme being, and this being differs for all religions and goes by different names such as God, Buddha, Zeus (all father), Allah, Odin and a lot more. A simple but possibly wrong reason for such variation is that humans have been around for hundreds of thousands of years. Along the line the narrative is bound to change and create alternative versions of the same story. This is also includes the narrative that religion is a cultural system that has been created over the years by people because people do not want to accept that the lives they live is all there is to life.
The funny thing (probably not funny to you) that I’ve noticed about religion is that your belief or disbelief in a supreme being is largely (not entirely) based on how your life has worked out. For example, if someone is born into a Christian home and grew up in a peaceful/happy environment for the majority of their lives, chances are they still identify as Christians. However, there could be someone else in an exact situation whose beliefs have changed.
One’s religion does not define who they are as a person. How I see it, your religion is as much a part of your life as what your favorite food is. We all have our different reasons for choosing that specific food (religion) and are ready to defend why we love it so much, why we believe it’s better than the other foods. However, in the end your opinion of how you view a person does not change because they don’t share the same love for your food. Why is it an issue for religion?
We should love people for who they are and not what they choose to believe in. We all walk different paths in life. Just because someone’s path is different from yours doesn’t mean they’re doing it wrong.