World renowned author Paulo Coelho shares a few tales on intolerance   

THE TWO GODS

There are two gods.
The god our teachers teach us about, and the God who teaches us.
The god about whom people usually talk, and the God who talks to us.
The god we learn to fear, and the God who speaks to us of mercy.
The god who is somewhere up on high, and the God who is here in our daily life.
The god who demands punishment, and the God who forgives us our trespasses.
The god who threatens us with the torments of Hell, and the God who shows us the true path.
There are two gods.
A god who casts us off because of our sins, and a God who calls to us with His love.

WHO WANTS TO GO TO HEAVEN?

A priest who firmly believed that the devil lurked in all life's pleasures went to the local bar and asked everyone to come to the church that evening. They all obeyed. The priest addressed the crowded church:

'You must stop all this heavy drinking! Those of you who want to go to heaven, raise your right hand!'

Everyone in the church raised their hand – apart from Manoel, a thoroughly decent man, who always did his duty.

Surprised, the priest asked:

'What about you, Manoel, don't you want to go to heaven when you die?'

'Of course I do, but I haven't even finished enjoying the life God gave me, and there you are wanting to pack me off to heaven!'

NO FAITH

Jesus decides to attend a great football match between Catholics and Protestants. Fans arrive from all over the world, with their Bibles, their team colours and their beliefs.

The game begins. At the end of the first half, a Catholic in the penalty area kicks the ball and scores a goal. The fans roar; Jesus stands up and cheers.

At the beginning of the second half, the Protestants score an equaliser. The other fans cheer wildly and give thanks to heaven. Jesus again rises to his feet and cheers, because all his children are happy.
'What are you doing, cheering both goals?' asks a fan.

'I'm watching a beautiful game,' replies Jesus, 'and I'm having a wonderful time!'

'Now I've seen everything,' concludes the fan. 'You obviously have no respect for either faith.'

FUEL

'Master, what is faith?'

The master asked the disciple to light a fire. They sat down in front of it and together watched the flames. 'That is faith,' said the master. 'The wood for the bonfire. The fuel that keeps the flame of God burning in our hearts.'

'But the wood needs a spark to transform it into light.'

'There are various sparks, the most common of which is called the 'Will'. You have only to want to have faith and it will appear.'

'Even when we've spent our whole lives believing in nothing?'

'We always believe, even though we may not recognise or accept that we do, and that is why it's so easy to awaken the spark. Besides, the longer we live, the closer we are to God: old wood always burns more easily.'