Heart wide open, mind wide open

I accept that life will always present challenges.  I accept that I must hold compassion above all else and respect the deep & heartfelt faiths & beliefs of others if I expect the same respect.  What I cannot understand is why religion has to argue over semantics.  Ultimately if a faith or a philosophy has at its core a fundamental belief in one God, why does it matter what we call God or how we arrive at God?  In fact, what if you are pagan and God is not a part of your philosophy?  Surely the essence of having any faith is a recognition that we are all God's children or all children of the earth, that we are all part of a divine creation and that we should strive to be the best human beings we can be and love one & other unconditionally?  Perhaps I am naive but I cannot help but feel that when any organisation claims to be right and other ways of viewing the world as being wrong or against their faith, it is not then about God but about men and women wanting to be in power over others.  Why can't we all celebrate together - Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Wiccan...I believe that faith  should be about creating community and living compassionately, not insisting your view is right above all else.  I believe in God and I choose to express my spirituality through my Yoga practice.  I don't mind whether you believe in God or not, and if you do have faith, I don't mind how you express your beliefs.  I hope that one day we can all join hands in celebration for festivals in any tradition and simply enjoy an all pervading sense of love, perhaps then we will all know what it means to know God.