[muawiyah]

No, when it comes to religious beliefs, the government does not have the authority to pry, or to punish.

We have secular courts with secular rules. Doesn't matter if the plaintiffs agree to make the judge Pope!~ He's taken an oath and must stick to it.

[antiRepublicrat]

No, when it comes to religious beliefs, the government does not have the authority to pry, or to punish.

When a church asks for a tax exemption, does the government not have the authority to ask if they are religious?

The government did not punish these people for their beliefs. They "punished" them for trying to push their beliefs on others.