Is It Ever Alright To Lie?

[Road Runner]

If your life is being threatened then you have every right to kill somebody, so shouldn't the same work for lying? Or when it comes to protecting the life or feelings of somebody else?

 

[Concerned American]

If your life is being threatened then you have every right to kill somebody, so shouldn't the same work for lying? Or when it comes to protecting the life or feelings of somebody else?

Sure, I've said, "Sure, I'll respect you in the morning." LOL

 

[fncceo]

The consequences of NOT lying can be life-threatening

 

[Road Runner]

The consequences of NOT lying can be life-threatening

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Exactly!

 

[Meriweather]

If your life is being threatened then you have every right to kill somebody, so shouldn't the same work for lying? Or when it comes to protecting the life or feelings of somebody else?

I remember reading one Jewish take on lying. First, God is truth, so one wants to be with God as much as possible. Three exceptions to truth were offered.

Being untruthful to promote peace and hospitality. Being untruthful when one asks about one's marriage. And the other is being untruthful so as to not parade knowledge about oneself. (For example offering, "I know a little about this" instead of saying, "I am an expert" even when one is.)

 

[Road Runner]

I remember reading one Jewish take on lying. First, God is truth, so one wants to be with God as much as possible. Three exceptions to truth were offered.

Being untruthful to promote peace and hospitality. Being untruthful when one asks about one's marriage. And the other is being untruthful so as to not parade knowledge about oneself. (For example offering, "I know a little about this" instead of saying, "I am an expert" even when one is.)

What about marriage though? And like I said, I think there are some other exceptions,.. but you make a good point too.

 

[onefour1]

Suppose you are in Nazi Germany as a German and sympathize with the plight of the Jews. Some of you Jewish friends ask you to hide them in your home so the Nazi's won't find them. You agree and hide them in your home. Now suppose the Nazi's come knocking at your door looking for missing Jews who they will immediately drag into the street and shoot them in the back of the head. When the Nazi's ask if you have seen any Jews in the neighborhood, should you be honest and let them know you have some in your house and let the drag them into the street and murder them? Or, should you lie and tell them that you have not seen any Jews? What is the ethical thing to do in this situation? Will God pin a metal on your shirt for telling the truth?

 

[Road Runner]

Will God pin a metal on your shirt for telling the truth?

Actually, no,.. I think this would be a situation where He would say to forget about being truthful and protect your friends as that's more important than being honest at this point.

 

[foggedinn]

A king in Israel asked a man of God how things would go in the upcoming war. The man of God lied to the king and said things would go great. The king said; man of God you are lying to me. So the man of God told the king the truth.

It has been my personal experience that when men demand the truth, they are really looking for a lie.
We are all witnesses. Lying corrupts the witness of the person being lied to.

 

[Blackrook]

Bearing false witness is a sin. That means, don't falsely accuse another of a crime he didn't commit.

Other forms of lying may be wrong, but may be justified in the situation.

 

[ding]

If your life is being threatened then you have every right to kill somebody, so shouldn't the same work for lying? Or when it comes to protecting the life or feelings of somebody else?

The commandment is to not bear false witness against your neighbor.

 

[ding]

Bearing false witness is a sin. That means, don't falsely accuse another of a crime he didn't commit.

Other forms of lying may be wrong, but may be justified in the situation.

It doesn't have to be limited to a crime. It's anything you falsely allege someone else did that causes him harm.

 

[Road Runner]

The commandment is to not bear false witness against your neighbor.

That's true and usually that's looked at as lying, but as long as lying doesn't do that then that's not really breaking the commandment.

 

[Road Runner]

It doesn't have to be limited to a crime. It's anything you falsely allege someone else did that causes him harm.

It could also be saying that you didn't do something that you actually did though as that's saying something false against yourself.

 

[marvin martian]

If your life is being threatened then you have every right to kill somebody, so shouldn't the same work for lying? Or when it comes to protecting the life or feelings of somebody else?

I told my kids Santa was real for years. Same for the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.

 

[Road Runner]

I told my kids Santa was real for years. Same for the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.

That's a tough position to be in man. You either lie and tell them that they're real and get presents, candy, and money,.. but get a permanent mark on your record and don't get through the pearly gates,.. or tell them the truth and never get to have any presents ever again. However, I guess that's just life. (JK btw. )

 

[JoeMoma]

Exactly!

So the ends justifies the means?

 

[Road Runner]

So the ends justifies the means?

Unless you want to sleep on the couch I would say so.

 

[Meriweather]

I told my kids Santa was real for years. Same for the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.

My parents told us that as well. Those were the days we spent most of our play time pretending...we were riding horses, spaceships, playing soldiers, nurses, hotel, baseball heroes--anything we could think up. Never once thought those days of Let's Pretend as lying. When I learned the reality of Santa Claus, Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, I was in awe of parents everywhere. It had never occurred to me they were head and shoulders ahead of all us kids at playing "Let's Pretend..."

 

[Road Runner]

I would never lie and tell my children that those things are real. I'd just tell them the stories, let them choose whether or not they wanted to believe in them, (which they probably would) and then once they got big enough to start asking questions I'd just tell them the truth. That way, I would never actually be lying to them.