a great analogy that punishing people for not believing is unjust

Imagine there’s a group that says, “This grass is green—everyone must see it as green, or they will be punished.” The grass reflects light at 530 nm, an objective physical property. For most people, 530 nm naturally looks green. But let’s say there’s someone named Sam. Sam’s eyes are fine, he is not color blind, and he genuinely wants to see green. He tries everything—he focuses, visualizes nature, studies the light scientifically, even closes his eyes to “feel” green—but internally, his brain perceives the wavelength differently. Objectively, the light hasn’t changed. He is trying his hardest, yet he cannot force his perception to match the group’s label.

Now imagine the group punishes Sam anyway for not seeing green. They call him ignorant, stubborn, or even blame him morally for failing to perceive what he cannot control. That’s exactly what happens with blasphemy laws or punishments for disbelief in religion. The doctrine is presented as an objective truth, and individuals are expected to internalize it fully. But human minds are diverse; some perceive the same teachings differently, doubt what they cannot reconcile, or struggle sincerely to understand. Effort, sincerity, or honest reasoning doesn’t matter to authoritarian systems—they only care whether the internal perception matches the imposed label.

This analogy is powerful because it separates objective reality from subjective experience. Physics or doctrine exists independently; the grass reflects 530 nm light, and the religious teachings are written or preached. But perception—the internal understanding of that light or belief—varies naturally among humans. Punishing someone for internal perception, for the way their mind honestly interprets reality, is unfair, illogical, and unjust. You cannot will your brain to perceive green if it’s wired differently, just as you cannot force someone’s understanding or belief to align perfectly with a dogmatic system.

In short, punishing honest doubt or disbelief is like punishing someone for not seeing 530 nm as green. The light is the same for everyone, the grass hasn’t changed, yet perception differs. Effort, intention, and sincerity are irrelevant to authoritarian enforcement. True justice would recognize that internal perception is private, uncontrollable, and morally neutral. The group punishes not reality, not truth, but the natural diversity of human perception—and that is the core of why such punishment is absurd.