While the heads of the Orthodox and Catholic churches, as well as the religious leader of Buddhists, expressed support for the victims of the natural disaster and called on their flocks to pray for the souls of the dead, some of their associates decided to become holier than the Pope himself. Catholic and Orthodox hierarchs also declared divine retribution for sinners, Buddhists recalled the fragility of human existence, and Muslims, who saw the name of Allah in the outlines of ocean waves, not only repented for all the sins of visiting tourists, but also announced a "formidable warning" to the amorous sinners of the rest of the world.
The first country that the recent catastrophe forced to think of God was Indonesia. Although without particular concern for the upbringing of its citizens, the authorities decided to turn the nation into a highly moral society using an express method – through legislation. The country's government recently proposed a law banning any extramarital relations under threat of ten years of imprisonment.
If the law is passed, Indonesia's vice squad would get the right to break into homes and conduct searches on the mere suspicion of an illegal "contact." The struggle for public morality would also unfold on other fronts: it is proposed to ban any pornography in Indonesia outright, and to introduce censorship on radio and television for overly explicit American and European films. Under the new law, even a simple kiss on the street could cost a couple in love a fine of 25,000 euros.
There is only one thing that can console tourists who still wish to visit Indonesia – the prospects for this bill are very vague. As the Indonesian authorities themselves admit, its discussion could drag on for years. The reason is that the main supporters of such bans are the leaders of Indonesian Muslims, who are widely represented in the government. However, Islam has still not become the state religion in Indonesia, despite the fact that the majority of the population embraces it.
Thanks to centuries-old traditions of polytheism, Indonesians are in no hurry to give up their right to practice any religion; therefore, Hindu and Buddhist temples are often located right next to mosques. Moreover, island Indonesia is characterized by the compact residence of representatives of different faiths – for example, the island of Bali, surrounded by a Muslim population, is almost entirely Hindu.
Therefore, it is unlikely that Buddhists, Hindus, and Christians, who live on the coast and islands solely off the tourist business, would agree to live under Sharia law. And the effectiveness of such an attempt at police-imposed morality is highly doubtful. Throughout the ages, state laws have been the consequence of commonly accepted morality, not its cause. It was Aristotle who urged not to confuse ethics with politics.