A Religious Question--No Hatred Allowed

For anyone that espouses a religious view of the world, I would like for you to submit to me the reasons for the religious persecution among so many people throughout the world. I understand the sensitivity of this question and I am in no way diminishing your beliefs. My goal, at this time, is to try and understand why such beliefs hold such strong convictions that it become paradoxical to human nature. By this, I mean that all religions seemingly promote peace, love and genuine goodwill toward men yet religions also cause divisiveness, hatred and even cause wars. I was raised as a Catholic but have learned that we all have our beliefs and that tolerance is something we should all learn. Perhaps its my naivete that has me question why so many zealots throughout the world seem to feel that violence against another person's beliefs is acceptable. I am sure that no matter what you believe in, the Supreme Being of your religion is adamantly opposed to any persecution, violence and intolerance against anyone. I want help in understanding why wars begin over someone's beliefs. Is it possible that if there were acceptance of ALL religions there would never be wars? More significantly, if there were no belief in the Supreme Deity would we finally agree on the fact that we are all equal? While I am for the latter, I hope that eventually we all get to the point that we understand that we are all human beings, understand that our futures do not depend on anything other than our actions and that we are in total control of our lives and well-being. I am also a realist and know that this will never be possible until we finally come to our senses and figure out that religion is a set of beliefs that are subjective and open to interpretation. I am not an expert and am just trying to learn how the world works. Help me understand the various positions you all have. Thanks for all your responses.