Religion: Debate or War?

So, with the wagons upon wagons of trends being banded upon these days, another popular trend to have surfaced, is religion.  Of course, religion has been around for hundreds and thousands of years, but it seems to have gotten a kick start as of recently.  So as not to discriminate towards anyone's beliefs or religion, I'm going to speak generally.  I'll try not to focus too greatly on any particular belief.  That being said, the two major beliefs I see first hand, are a belief in an all-mighty, omniscient, holy creator.  In other words, God.  On the other side of the ring we have Atheists, or a group who doesn't believe in any holy spirit, who strongly believe in the theory of evolution.  Now, the difference between these two beliefs is not the main conflict here.  I strongly believe beliefs are something every human being should have.  In fact, beliefs are what define us as individuals.  Without them we'd be no more than androids.  Beliefs are not the problem we're faced with, however, It's the label we assign these beliefs with.  Labels such as Christian, Atheist, etc.  This poses a question...what is the necessity for these labels?  Why do we have the urgency to pick sides thrown upon us by not only the media, but figures of authority as well?  I was under the impression we were raised as free thinkers, were we not?  Do we not, as humans, each deserve the right to believe a certain way without having to commit or confine ourselves to a certain guideline?  The moment when you declare one of these labels, you're automatically assigned these set of rules that follow with it.  This is the very thing that halts our progression as a civilization.  If we're not prepared to question the possibility of other existences or at the very least come to an understanding and a mutual respect with those of different opinions, how will we ever learn more than what we do now?  Beliefs are only glorified opinions, if you get right down to it.  However, has having an opinion ever stopped you from exploring before?  Just because you don't like one rap song, or one rap artist (Lil' Wayne), does that prohibit you from listening to the genre as a whole?  I would guess the answer is no.  So, the question is, why would it be any different in this particular situation?  Just because you are more inclined to not believe one way or the other, does not mean you should shut yourself off completely.  What I'm saying is, we should be more focused on open mindedness and exploration than categories and labels.  Whether you believe in God or not, that should not stop you from exploring another persons opinions.  If we are to survive as a civilization, we have to work together.  As long as these labels are assigned and chosen, however, we'll be held back.  A great video to watch about this very topic is by a man named Neil deGrasse Tyson.  I found the video exploring bigthink.com.  It's titled "Neil deGrasse Tyson: Atheist or Agnostic?"  It's a great video I HIGHLY recommend you take a look at.  Here's the link if you would like to watch it, http://bigthink.com/users/neildegrassetyson#!video_idea_id=43539

I suppose that's it for this time.  Stay thinking, and stay open everybody.
Sayonara, mina-san.