thou shall not lie vs. the boy who cried wolf...?

Question

did you learn that it is better not to lie from the bible telling you lying is a sin or from the story boy who cried wolf? why?

the point of my question is we can all be told not to do something. but unless we can find some moral associated with why we shouldn't do it, there's really no reason not to do it.

Answer 1

I agree. I'm an intelligent human being. I need a reason for rules if I am expected to follow them.

Answer 2

Neither, lying is an essential part of life for everyone, it just depends on who you are as to how much you do it and why. I mean even if you had strict Christian morals, if an obese friend asked you if they looked massivly fat and they did you wouldn't say "yep, you sure do." You'd say a half truth like, "you're a great person" or just lie and say they didn't. Its still lying so I don't see how anyone can object to lying when we all do it every day. Of course we all have our own beliefs on the subject, I personally think that lying about personal accomplishments is the most pointless thing ever, not sure if its morally wrong though, just stupid.

I agree taht having a moral to go along with something we are being told not to do is a good thing, it does help to see what could happen if we do that thing rather than just hearing a hundred thousand times that it is wrong. Trouble is that most morals people give out don't really apply for most of life, which was the point of my first rant. The problem is that you need an example thats extreme enough to get people to realise that doing something is wrong, but general enough so they don't see it and just think "this is rubbish!". How could a village of people hear a boy calling wolf from a field far enough away so they couldn't see it, and if these people have such good hearing, why couldn't they hear the wolf?

The whole sin thing annoys me since its too pick and chose, a lot of sins a normal decent person wouldn't do anyway, where as others are almost unavoidable in life, so are we just supposed to smooth over those ones in our mind and claim taht its not that bad and that God forgives us, how do we know that?

Answer 3

Right off the top of my head , I can only think of one of the 10 commandants about 'false witness' that makes any real reference to telling porkies, apart from some obscure stuff from James.
The tale of the boy crying wolf is really a separate subject , it teaches a lesson.
But I do get your drift.
I take no lesson from anything in the bible (all hog wash to me)!
This does not mean I have no morals! I do have morals , but I just don't need a holy book to tell me what is right or wrong.
Now the main part of your question appears to be that there is no real reason not to do something that we don't find 'personally' to be immoral??
I cant go along with that bit.
All our personal opinions on the question of what is or is not 'moral' will differ.
So we do need a reason not to do 'it', the reason we have got is the law of the land!
Yes I do know that at times the law is an *ss, to change the law could take a form of rebellion , (that has happened in the past)!
So my point is just that there is a reason not to do 'it'! Apart from religious BS.

Answer 4

Both of those methods of teaching that lying is wrong is actually from the same source... your parents. Every parent chooses a different way of teaching their children right from wrong. If these values are taught correctly with proper discipline, the individual will never question the morality of it, regardless of the source. Some people believe things are right or wrong their parents never taught them (like eating meat or being gay, for instance) If everyone believed in the same values, we wouldn't have a political system. Each individual forms their values throughout their lives according to their basic beliefs and their experiences. It's only the parent's job to instill the basics and then let them make up their own minds on more complex issues.

Answer 5

I learned not to lie from my parents, because lying can hurt people, is disrespectful, and usually ends up being figured out in the end anyway. I learned how to tactfully fib as I got older.

Regardless, children usually do better if the consequences of an action are explained simply, firmly, and truthfully.

Answer 6

They're both excellent reasons not to lie. They both tell us it's wrong. The Bible tells us not to do it and the "boy who cried wolf" is an example of what could happen to us if we do.

Answer 7

I think instead of worrying about concepts and mental exercises to decide who's crying wolf and who's not, time would be better spent figuring out where we stand on an issue that's real, like this one:

Over two years after an employee for Halliburton/KBR in Iraq was gang-raped by her coworkers and told not to seek medical treatment or she'd be fired, the Justice Department has brought no criminal charges, ABC News reports. "In fact, ABC News could not confirm any federal agency was investigating the case." Jamie Leigh Jones, now 22, was working in the Green Zone when she says that multiple co-workers raped her, after which "the company put her under guard in a shipping container with a bed," for "at least 24 hours without food or water." KBR asserts that it was "instructed to cease" its investigation by the U.S. government officials "because they were assuming sole responsibility for the criminal investigations." However, two years later, "Poe says neither the departments of State nor Justice will give him answers on the status of the Jones investigation." Because of lack of legal oversight of contractors in Iraq, experts say Jones will likely be unable to bring criminal charges against her attackers. In October, the House overwhelmingly passed a bill to bring private contractors working in Iraq under the rule of U.S. law, though the Senate has yet to take up the bill.

Answer 8

Get your Facts straight there is a Bayer wolf to and the wolf Huffed and puffed but couldn't Blow the Brick House Down.

Answer 9

I used to lie all the time for various reasons. When I got in over my head, I was humiliated. That's when I learned how to lie without being caught. Although I only do it in necessary circumstances, ex: to make someone feel better.

Answer 10

considering that we learn when we find a meaning from something, we need to understand why we are told something and what the consequences of not doing it will be so the boy who cried... is a good story for this