Don't get me wrong, I understand most followers have a certain level of hypocrisy. It's impossible to be perfect, and part of being human, whether you adhere to a religion or not.
When it bugs me is when you have people that don't realize their own hypocrisy and are using their own religion (even though they aren't technically following it as evidenced by their own hypocrisy) to keep others or other groups down. Like the example I used before. Pastors or politicians who are cheating, or screwing children, or whatever, that are shouting from the roof that 'god' doesn't like homosexuals, or allow that kind of behaviour. That's where the real problems are, and it's always been that way, even in the middle ages. The people in power, keeping their power, and not even subscribing to the dogma they preach.
They would openly punish people, as you put it, for disobeying the dogma, that they themselves would disobey in private. Those are the real hypocrites.
Followers just struggling on their path is just a natural part of being human, and I understand that.
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