The Hindu says, "If only all people would accept that all ways lead to God, there would be peace." The Muslim says, "If everyone would accept that Allah is God and Mohammed is his prophet then there would be peace." The atheist says, "If only people would accept there is no God then there would be peace." Everyone thinks their non-negotiables about beliefs and morality (their absolutes) are so important that other people should embrace them.1 In itself, this is not a problem; we all believe what we believe because we think it's true.
The problem people are not those who think they are right and others are wrong; the problem people are those who think that no one should be permitted to seek a position of power or influence unless that person believes what they believe about religion or government. There are those who think that no matter what values, beliefs or ideology a person holds, they should be permitted to seek positions of influence; yet many of those same people attempt to use government education and government funded media to spread their views. All views lead to tension when people try to use government education or government funded media to promote their views. Even more tension is created when people attempt to pass laws which give those who hold their views special privileges.
Now some people would argue that because some things are not true, people who hold those beliefs should not be permitted to seek positions of power or be allowed to teach their views to their children. This stance is extremely problematic because whether a thing is true or not is not the most important issue regarding ethics. The story of the boy who cried wolf is probably a fictional story, yet we do not say it is ok to lie once you're old enough to know the story isn't true. If it was proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that the gospels are fictional, would adults be justified in ignoring Jesus teaching that we should forgive people and do to others as we would have them do to us?2 Now some beliefs are unethical; notably the belief that only those who hold our "beliefs" about reality should hold positions of power.
How are we to safe guard society from such "well meaning" people?
I believe we have to limit the roles of government so that people cannot use the government to advance their ideology or belief. If you think this is worth pursuing, click on the button below.
Power and the Problem of Ideology and State
See also Race, Culture, and Equality
1. It’s simply not true that if all people held the same beliefs there would be peace.
If everyone believed that it was ok to lie and steal, and harm anyone who tries to stop you from taking what you want, would the world be a more peaceful place? Some beliefs are more peaceful than others (see Theocracy).
2. If people are teaching things to their children which are not true; the way to deal with that problem is to use free speech; not to lock people up or ban books (Stalin already tried that). See The Case for Free Speech.