Is There Ever A Good Time for This?

I would also do so to prevent serious harm to another person. There is a model of holding certain concerns above otherwise-obligatory commandments. Keeping the Sabbath was a valid OT law, but Jesus placed concern for fellow human beings ahead of the Sabbath law.

 

Rahab the harlot lied (Joshua 2:4) and yet she is commended for receiving the spies (Hebrews 11:31).

 

Difficult one.

 

You'll probably find this to be a volatile issue before this poll & thread run their course-- one of about 5 on this site. And there's a couple of those that I will not comment on any longer. Normally, of course, it is wrong to lie. But my position on this corresponds to other moral questions. There is a recent thread about 'modesty in medical sitautions.' Most agree that normal rules of covering our bodies do afford an exception for medical reasons. And I have used an illustration from an old TV western (Wagon Train, I think) where a teenage boy was captured by Indians and when a search party found him he was in a clearing, tied to a stake with brush around him. One man ran toward him but was immediately shot by an arrow. Then a flaming arrow came and set the brush on fire. So the boy pled with the other man to shoot him rather than let him burn to death. And the man did, as I think I would have, too. And if I had been that boy, I know I would have made the same request. Would you shoot him in the heart for a quick death, or obey "you shall not kill" as he's dying a slow torturous death anyway?

So, I do say there can be situations that change the normal rules. I don't, however, think that lying 'to keep from hurting someone's feelings' warrants such a change, as many, probably most, people seem to think. It's really a matter of how dire the situation. But face it, we are taught lying and hypocrisy from early childhood... e.g., "When you go to your friend, Jimmy's, tonight, eat what's on your plate and tell his mother it was a good meal, no matter what you really think." It can be hard to uncondition that.

 

Let's not confuse "lie" with "not disclosing all shreds of truthful material."

There are times where it is prudent, and not wrong, to not tell everything.

But lie? Nope. Can't go with that.

 

>Let's not confuse "lie" with "not disclosing all shreds of truthful material."

Like God and Satan in the apple story?

 

Let's examine the commandment, shall we?:

Exo 20:16 Thou shalt not bear falsewitness against thy neighbour.

Now, what exactly are we commanded against? False witness. Think about real life and tell me what a false witness is. Think perjury, slandar, defamation, etc.

Rahab did not bear false witness against anyone. She lied, but she didn't bear false witness.

If she'd told the soldiers where the spies were and then said something toward the idea that they'd raped her harlots and stole her money(when they hadn't), THEN we could talk about false witness.

Essentially, you shouldn't be speaking lies that will cause harm to another. On top of that, it may not always be wise to speak the plain truth either. (I'm not about to tell my mother that her fav dress reminds me of one I saw the other day on a bag lady!)

The rule to remember is: speak about others only what you'd want spoken of yourself.

 

Some people, though, insist on asking a question which, if answered truthfully, would likely offend them. The classic modern case, often used on television, is a woman asking if her outfit 'makes her look fat.' It seems to be expected that the true answer is yes, but she is testing your truthfulness and/or your graciousness. So what are the options?...

1)Refuse to answer, which may considerably upset her.
2)Answer "yes," which is guaranteed to upset her, since you didn't even "try."
3)Lie and answer "no," which may or may not be what she wants to hear.
4)Be creative or articulate... "It compliments your form to match your gorgeous face." "It just looks like the real you, which I adore."

#4 may be what she is wanting to hear, though it does not answer the question. But in crazy human interaction, many times a statement phrased as a question is not really an inquiry, just an invitation. So if you can get past the question without lying by failing to answer, I guess that's alright. But if you're the one who doesn't want to hear the real truth, don't push it.