Crime and Punishment or Religion and punishments. 
Punishments by religious fanatics are more cruel that what law treats are crimes. Ironically religion gives protection to crime.  Scriptures also endorse actions that people feel in their dreams or hallucination. Bible talks about Abraham taking his only son to ‘kill’ because God told so in his dream.

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An incidence from my childhood – First Communion.  On a Friday, I had my 1^st confession for 1^st communion on the following Sunday. Saturday my cousin who was about six years older than me came and had a fight with me.  My mother heard it and send him away and asked me to go for confession.

“This is my 2^nd confession,” I told the old priest

“When was your 1^st?”

“yesterday.”

“What did you do in one day?” he asked angrily.  All the girls gathered behind me giggled. There were no men or boys.

“My cousin kicked me and I kicked him back. He called me a dog and I replied,” I replied.

“Go kneel down in front of me, stretch your arms and say one rosary,” he ordered.

It was an old church with a lot of sand, my knee hurt – it was like kneeling down in rock salt. Girls giggled. But I carried out the penance.

That experience still humiliates me after half a century.

Was the penance or punishment fair?

Pastor Michael stahl's threat also goes as organized crime. Non religious people don't unite against others to hurt them. we are only trying to liberate people from slavery. Religions are a kind of 'husbandry'.