And setting the precedent that you can just spout the most wildly damaging shit and then just go "whoopsy" after and drop down to "no longer a priority problem" is how we have people across the world just setting fire to our societies and then falling off the map without a care because they know they'll never face real consequence.

Setting the stage of knowing that you will be held to account, no matter the statue of limitations, will keep people from throwing their weight to begin with and help stem the tide going forward.

Either way, I don't buy him "realizing he was wrong" in the slightest. Its purely self interest of having to suffer the consequence of his actions, so he is running to the forgiving group to protect him. If the mudslimes were quelled he would be right back to trying to throw Christianity to the lions by the next day.