Get that horse back down here....
<They are beating their backs with chains. Others were hitting swords on top of their heads.
If someone saw a single individual performing such an act in the streets of New York or Los Angeles - they would be judged insane and locked up in a sanitarium for their own protection.
However, when we see a whole bunch of people performing unintelligent acts - we call it "cultural distinctions."
You may want to compare and contrast to the penitents at Semana Santa before making your usual moral relativism judgement..........