[RETRACTED] Jerusalem rabbis condemn dog to death for being possessed by deceased lawyer

UPDATE: (06/18/11 8:00 PM) – False report. It’s somewhat muddled what the rabbis do believe regarding the dog’s supposed reincarnation, but it was never ordered killed, and they only asked children to throw rocks at it to chase it away, not to harm it. Mea culpa for lack of fact-checking. (Thanks to Uzza for pointing it out.)

(Also, what the hell does “skila” mean? Both Google and Urban Dictionary fail me on that one.)

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Pictured: Possibly reincarnated lawyer

Your brain on religion, Judaic doggycide edition:

A Jewish rabbinical court condemned to death by stoning a stray dog it feared was the reincarnation of a lawyer who insulted its judges, reports say.

The dog entered the Jerusalem financial court several weeks ago and would not leave, reports Israeli website Ynet.

It reminded a judge of a curse passed on a now deceased secular lawyer about 20 years ago, when judges bid his spirit to enter the body of a dog.

On the off chance that your brain hasn’t just fried in your skull, you’ll be relieved to learn that the poor wayward mutt managed to escape. So, of course, the rabbinical judges were left unsatisfied:

One of the judges at the court in the city's ultra-Orthodox Mea Shearim neighbourhood had reportedly asked local children to carry out the sentence.

Yay, animal cruelty and child psychological abuse in one! Way to go, arbiters of good humane values and righteous morality.

(via Pharyngula)

Tags: dogs • Judaism • Jerusalem • rabbis • Mea Shearim