Supposedly, they were firm believers in the Bible, but the Bible advocates forgiveness and tolerance. The basis of the entire society was religious enlightenment. Yet, the first building to appear will be a prison, a place of punishment. The blatant hypocrisy has been visible since the first day Boston was founded. Another example of religious hypocrisy occurs early in the book. Hawthorne described some gossipy housewives who talked about Hester's punishment. Each of the housewives called for harsher punishment for Hester. “The magistrates are God-fearing gentlemen, but very merciful, that is the truth,” added a third autumn matron. “At the very least they should have put the mark of a hot iron on Hester Prynne's forehead. Mrs. Hester would have winced at this, I guarantee. "(Housewife 36). Religion is often the source of much hypocrisy. A great example of God perverted into something else was the Crusades. Christian soldiers were told to go and, supposedly, kill in the name of God, so they went to the lands saints and killed the infidel. Bigotry towards a deity is not a good thing. The 9/11 terrorists killed so many people, they even did it in the name of God. Their belief actually requires nothing of the sort. The perversion of God by those in power is a sin. It is impossible to truly believe in a religion and feel justified in killing or persecuting