How would a lie be detected and how would the rule be enforced? Should every accuser be required to post a bond? Should every poster be required to post a bond of truth?
What is the difference between giving an opinion and telling a lie? Should the poster be required to classify every statement as to fact or opinion?
If BB can't maintain an honest forum why should anyone expect an honest government or an honest press?
Say baptistboard was to forbid lying
Discussion in 'Political Debate & Discussion' started by billwald, Jul 6, 2012.
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Only God can look into the heart. A person may diseminate disinformation and not be lieing but simply mistaken.
If one accepts the premise of deception as essential in defining a lie, an opinion therefore cannot be a lie unless there is the element of that motive.
A big deal was made about the willingness of the accused to take a "loyalty oath".
I felt (even as a kid) that requiring a "loyalty oath" of a possible communist spy
was futile as deception is what espionage is all about.
People lie, a bond of truth or a loyalty oath won't stop them.
I believe it's helpful to include a classification between the two.
A fact should be documentable, an opinion can be supported by documentation of related facts though not always.
HankD -
A lie is saying something you know to be false, an opinion is saying something you believe to be true, whether it is or not.
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In My Opinion of course.
:tongue3:
HankD -
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>Originally Posted by Winman
>A lie is saying something you know to be false, an opinion is saying something you believe to be true, whether it is or not.
YES!
Say there was a 98% accurate and cheap computer program which detected lying. Should passing a theological test be required for church membership?
Me, I assign a probability to what I "believe in." For example, there might be an 80% chance that Jesus rose from the dead. Would that be sufficient for me to join you at communion? -
On the other hand, lies can be told be not saying anything. It is the intent of the heart, in a Christian, a Christ filled heart. There are examples in the Bible of untruths being used in the Lord's purposes, such as the actions of Rehab, a person of great faith that made the rolls in Hebrews 11.
In practical living, I am guilty as the next person about not saying things at times. For example, while I worked, I knew of several guys cheating on their spouses, some working right in the same building. If you think I was about to go up to the wife and tell her, not me. If it is a sin, then the Lord will forgive me.
At the same time, I am not about to go up to someone who is not the most attractive thing on earth and make fun of his or her physical feature, although what I would say is the truth. Another thing I will not do, from experience, is when in a crowd, restaurant, etc, and hear foul language, with my family, I will not confront the people saying it. Good way to get shot. I remove us from the area.
I consider gossip one the the most destructive sins running rampant in the church today. I know people who salivate at news about another member or family member who is caught in some kind of sin, a trial or other hard situation. If I know about it, and someone asks me for details, I ask myself, does this person want to pray for this brother or sister in Christ, or are their jaws going to start flapping, and they get an adrenaline rush from the situation. Ninty percent of the time it is the latter. -
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Squire Robertsson AdministratorAdministrator
What Lying and Slander Are Not.
They are not:
- a difference of opinion.
- a difference of interpretation of facts.
Slander (from the American Heritage Dictionary):
- Oral communication of false statements injurious to a person's reputation.
- A false and malicious statement or report about a person.
So, Slander is not:
- Asking for proof of a statement.
- Asking how an opinion was arrived at.
- Responding to a comment based on a poster's previous posts on the same or other relevant threads.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defamation
In my experience, truth like chlorine bleach is the best disinfectant in dealing with the stain of libel or slander. -
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Squire Robertsson AdministratorAdministrator
Thanks, a lot of people use the terms slander and libel without really understanding what the terms mean. Like any words used in law, they have well established meanings.
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Yes, Squire, good post. :thumbs:
Also, a disagreement or difference of opinion is expected in a debate forum, but does not make the person one disagrees or differs with a "liar." -
So -- when person A says something; and person B provides proof showing that person A is in error; but person A continues with their stance, after having been shown that it's wrong; what do we call what person A is doing?
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The answer is obvious, though he might call the proof apples and oranges to justify himself. -
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Squire Robertsson AdministratorAdministrator
Yeup. Also, opinions are not slander or libel. So, prefacing a remark with "Because (lay out your reasons), I believe .....
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Say baptistboard was to forbid lying
It's a shame that this needs to be asked of a site on which most members claim to be followers of Scripture.