The Outside Forces Of Introspection

I've been studying the Baha'i faith recently. I find myself a little more at peace when I think of it, or read the words, or pray... It's not as limited as many religions and faiths that I have looked into before, and the only part of it I have a hard time with is the disagreement with homosexuality, though I expect that tends to be one of the points that is practiced much more quietly, if at all. Baha'iism is a very tolerant and peaceful religion, and is not hateful or... ignorant, I suppose is the word.
The interesting, and, for most, I expect, sticking point of the Baha'i faith is that it is not your old-school, angry father figure on a cloud kind of religion. There is no burning in hell because you read the wrong book, there is no religious war... God created us all, God loves us all, God has watched the human race grow up, and we are now reaching maturity, so we can understand that there is only one God, and he has sent many messengers, not just one, and that we are all family, all one.
I've always had a hard time with religion. My mother was raised Protestant, my father Catholic, my stepfather Baptist, my aunt is a Latter-Day Saint, or Mormon for those of you who aren't quite so caught up on the religiously p.c. lingo, many of my friends are Jewish and I grew up in an area much populated by the pagan beliefs of the Native Americans. I have known Hindus, Buddhists, and Satanists. I have seen Wiccan ceremonies, attended Jewish, Mormon, Baptist, Gospel, and numerous other religious services. I was baptized in a Protestant church, and had my first holy communion- a Catholic ceremony. The vast majority of religions have some hateful or intolerant aspect to them. I am not okay with hate, no matter what symbol or deity it hides behind. There are a good many religions that people are unaware of, such as Luciferianism, which is somewhat similar to Satanism, though generally appears to disclaim such a link, and, honestly, I think all religions deserve some look, though belief is a very personal choice. I can't deal with hate, or putting any people down as a whole. I've dated people of pretty much every race, I believe, at some point, however brief, and I see nothing wrong with interracial marriages, only dysfunctional relationships. Baha'i supports and encourages interracial relationships and marraiges, and I think that's what the world needs right now.
This is turning into a discombobulated rant, but I've recently come to realize that it's not so much race as culture that defines people... I grew up in a heavily hispanic neighborhood, and in that culture, women do not back down, they are emotional and loud and straight-forward. If a man in my old neighborhood said his wife 'flipped out' on him, that means something was thrown, most likely at his head. Now, I've met plenty of men who think as soon as a woman cries that counts as 'flipping out'. There have been men who got unstrung if I told them to shut up, even in a playful manner. It amazes me that some people are so oblivious to the fact that emotions are what fuel people. I am a soldier- I know what being professional means. I am professional. However, if it weren't for the emotions, the pride, the passion for certain things, all the professionalism in the world wouldn't keep me doing my job.
Get used to it, guys, even the tough girl has a heart. I should know.