Do believe there is a time you should lie?

Answer 1

There are certain times when it isn't wrong to lie...like when you don't want to offend somebody and some other instances.

Answer 2

The Bible says don't bear false witness *against* your neighbor. It doesn't say never tell a lie, nor that the bare truth is always the best policy. True, the devil is called the "father of all lies" but I understand that to mean harmful lies -- after all the devil is the father of all harm.

I told my kids that they must always be truthful to parents and teachers, and explain why. But I also said I'm would try to control what they said to their friends. That would be their decision not mine.

There is a basic principle that lies create the need for more lies to cover up the lies that have already been told, forming a web in which we eventually get caught. But that applies to lies about facts, not about subjective feelings. "Do you think I look fat?" is the typical example cited for which the lie might be much be better, more loving, etc., than the truth. That's not the kind of lie that contributes to a web of lies.

Then there is the hypothetical lie to save someone's life -- well, duh, of course. But when what we say affects people's welfare (not only life or death situations) we are wise to judge carefully whether the bare truth will hurt. Very often it's better to be honest and let it hurt now for the sake of keeping things clean or cleaning things up, which will prevent greater hurt in the future. Hard to know what will happen in the future, but if I see the handwriting on the wall or if have past experience to give me a pretty good indication of what might result if I say this or say that, then I do my best to say what I think will benefit others. Sometimes a lie could be more effective to encourage people to keep trying and succeed, whereas the whole truth at the wrong moment might crush them.

In general, honesty is the best policy -- but there is such a thing as a white lie. On the other hand, many go through life being careful to speak only absolute truth -- and they keep their conscience feeling clean. Some think any lie is a sin, but I take a more liberal view that God gave me the responsibility to do my best to do what is best for others, even if it means occasionally lying. I see a big difference in bearing false witness *against* my neighbor and bearing false witness in order to help him or save him. This falls in line with the Golden Rule: would I want someone to tell me the truth if it would harm me, when telling a lie might help me or save me until I were in a better position to accept the truth later? Because, eventually the truth will come out anyway.

Answer 3

Yes, when your elderly mother is in the hospital and the doctor said that any kind of stress will kill her.

Imagine this situation: Your sick mother asks you: "So, tell me, what is happening at home?" And you tell the truth: "Oh, mama, our house burned down, your husband committed suicide and your daughter fell from the 16th floor of an apartment building and died."

This is the situation where you have to lie like a rug.

Answer 4

Yes. Sometimes a little white lie is more kind and compassionate than the absolute brutal truth.

Answer 5

-You can lie to protect your privacy.
-There's no harm in lying if that lie helps someone in some way.
-I have lied to liars. I conjured up a fantasy world.
-Thanks to the glorification of snobbery, we are now forced to lie and manipulate things at work.

Answer 6

yes, there are certain circumstances where i believe it is alright to lie, but you have to be able to pick them out. for instance, if you find a hair in your grandmother's baked goods. if it was an accident, it might embaress her. (although if it happens frequently, maybe someone should let her know.) :)

Answer 7

Yes. I think if everyone constantly walked around telling the absolute truth all the time, everyone would be friendless, and probably jobless too.

Answer 8

If a lie will save someone's life, i would certainly do it.

Answer 9

when you want to get someone into bed yes but never lie about love that is low

Answer 10

Yes. When your wife asks you if she looks fat in her new dress. When a girl puts up her picture on YA and asks "am I cute?" Lying can be useful when one is asked to give his subjective opinion.