Pagan Intolerance

I need to take a time out here for a minute to write about something that has really been bothering me lately. As a Pagan, I am often criticized for my beliefs. To most Westerners, Paganism is looked at as a "fringe religion", something that is just "a phase" and at the worst of times, "evil." I hate being pegged into this hole. As a Pagan I try my best to be as nice as possible, honouring the God and Goddess in all things that I do. That's why it really busts my hump when my fellow Pagans go on and on about "The Christians". I get the jokes, and I understand the dislike of a group that looks down on my religion, and I don't want to be woken up at 7am to answer the door just to find myself confronted by people wanting to talk to me about God either, but when does this give me the right to bash another religion every chance I get? We hate it when someone else does it to us, so why is it that almost every Pagan I know, dishes it right back? I hate this! This is just complete intolerance and frankly, goes against everything that Paganism stand for in my opinion. As a Pagan I want to learn about other religions so that I can have civilized discussions with those who have different beliefs; not slam a door in their face, or answer it naked. I want to set a good example as a Pagan to other religions and then maybe they won't look down upon as as much. We want so much to be accepted for who we are and wear buttons and wave banner that tell us to "Coexist" and we are some of the worst when it comes to embracing our fellow believers. Most Wiccans follow one tenant, "An' Ye Harm None, Do As Ye Will." We are harming ourselves when we allow ourselves to be consumed with hate. We are harming the name of Pagans everywhere by portraying ourselves as mean spirited and intolerant.