Rabbi Ovadia Yosef: Whoever votes for Kadima will go to hell

[Poll_Blind]

Bold and italics added by me:

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the spiritual leader of the Shas party, was quoted Friday by an ultra-Orthodox weekly paper saying that "whoever votes for Kadima in the upcoming elections will be going backwards, and into hell."

The influential rabbi later told Shas Chairman Eli Yishai that he never made the controversial statement, adding, "Had I wanted to say such things, I wouldn't be ashamed of doing so."

Rabbi Yosef recently said that whomever votes for Shas in next week's general elections is ensured a spot in heaven. In his interview with with the paper, "Hakehila" he stood by this statement. "That is the absolute truth. I'm happy people made a stink about this. I only speak the truth," he said.

From Ha'aretz.

PB

[pelsar]

1. just love these guys.....

and their brilliant statements be they muslim, jew, christian or kook-aid drinking cultist-and the morons that believe them.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. It's a trick. Judaism doesn't promote hell as a place

for the living or for the dead.

[eyl]

3. Maybe

he's offering free trips to Jerusalem* for all Kadima voters?

:) :sarcasm:

*The Hebrew word for hell which he used - gehenom - refers to (or is derived from) a valley near Jerusalem called gai ben hennom, where child sacrifices used to be offered to Moloch.

[JohnLocke]

4. Moronic (nt)

[Coastie for Truth]

5. Same Thing in San Francisco

More than 25,000 evangelical Christian youth landed Friday in San Francisco for a two-day rally at AT&T Park against "the virtue terrorism" of popular culture, and they were greeted by an official city condemnation and a clutch of protesters who said their event amounted to a "fascist mega-pep rally."

"Battle Cry for a Generation" is led by a 44-year-old Concord native, Ron Luce, who wants "God's instruction book" to guide young people away from the corrupting influence of popular culture.

Luce, whose Teen Mania organization is based in Texas, kicked off a three-city "reverse rebellion" tour Friday night intended to counter a popular culture that he says glamorizes violence and sex. The $55 advance tickets for two days of musical performances and speeches were sold out, but walk-up admission was available for $199.

After stops in Detroit and Philadelphia in the next few weeks, Luce wants to unleash a "blitz" of youth pastors into the communities to do everything from work with the homeless to find new ways to bring others to Christ. He challenged youth leaders to double the size of their groups in the next year.

More than 25,000 teens converged on San Francisco's AT&T Park on a windswept Saturday for a daylong rock concert -- with none of the sex and drugs that go hand in hand with rock 'n' roll.

Kids screamed and swooned while smoke poured from the stage and electric guitars screeched. But the lyrics could have been ripped from a hymnal, and one rocker actually took a break to read from the Bible.

It was part of "Battle Cry For A Generation," an event to encourage evangelical Christian youth to fight back against a pervasive popular culture they say promotes sex, violence, drugs and alcohol. While anything-goes San Francisco may seem an odd place for a Christian youth rally, organizers said they have a great deal of support in Northern California. Similar events drew 7,000 youth to the Cow Palace three years ago and 9,000 to Sacramento's Arco Arena last year.

An Afghan man who faces a possible death sentence for converting from Islam to Christianity has told an Italian newspaper he is ready to die for his new faith.

``I don't want to die. But if God decides, I am ready to confront my choices, all the way,'' Abdur Rahman was quoted as saying in Sunday's La Repubblica.

The Italian newspaper conducted the interview by sending Rahman written questions via a human rights worker who visited him in jail outside Kabul.

Rahman, 40, could be hanged if found guilty of apostasy, which is punishable by death under Sharia (Islamic) law). His trial is due to start in a few days.

Your point?

My point - religious fanaticism is not confined to any race, religion, creed, national origin, gender.