You are absolutely correct. As is the case in other countries with a strong religious fundamentalist base, there are many who are willing to suffer in order to

You are absolutely correct. As is the case in other countries with a strong religious fundamentalist base, there are many who are willing to suffer in order to punish perceived sinfulness. I guess you see the most extreme version of this with Islamic fundamentalism-- "I want to die so that you can die." How people manage not to see this as a form of moral nihilism is beyond me-- it's basically selfless malice. In the old days I suppose these creeds existed to enforce discipline in a hostile zero-sum world, but today they're pointless and achieve nothing but the perpetuation of suffering.