Theology Unplugged: Is all Lying Sinful?

4 replies to "Theology Unplugged: Is all Lying Sinful?"

• David Pickett

  2015-02-11

  Probably. The white lie relys for vindication on a patronizing liar or a lied-to victim that does not want the responsibility that comes with knowledge: “If you are …, don’t tell me”. Is that love? Patronizing is not love. Is failure to be responsible for yourself and your surrounding reality, or supporting such an abdication of responsibility, love? Do we have a connection to the love from God that can strengthen us, make us honest? Do we trust in the power of that love?

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• josef

  2015-02-11

  Read this
  Ro.9:2o,and Ro.10:2-3
  Comment

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  • josef

    2015-02-11

    What’s valuable part of the sewing needle?
    The point or the eye?
    Neither
    The thread, it binds the product
    Spiritual view answer
    Christ,Jehovah, holy spirit
    Produced a Christian

    Reply
• Ron Iacone

  2015-02-17

  Hi ya’ll,

  We are all familiar with the verses in Holy Scripture about lying in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Colossians 3:9 and Ephesians 4:25, gives us pretty good sound advice about lying. In James, we are told that the tongue is a fire and we must learn to tame it. Jesus tells us to let our yes be a yes and your no be a no. And the list is probably a mile long (a white lie) and we cite much more scripture if we wanted to.

  A few months ago I was listening to a sermon from a theologian, who’s name escapes me for the moment, that said that our tongue was given to us to Bless God with. If we curse someone with our tongue or we lie to someone, it’s like committing verbal adultery. We should be blessing God and one another and speaking truth with our mouths. which is the Gospel to others who need to hear it.

  I know that most of your readers are Protestant, but, here the Catechism of the Catholic Church as an abundance of official teaching’s of their church. I think this is instructive and hope no one takes offence where Truth is pointed out.

  2482 “A lie consists in speaking a falsehood with the intention of deceiving.”281 The Lord denounces lying as the work of the devil: “You are of your father the devil, . . . there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”282

  2483 Lying is the most direct offense against the truth. To lie is to speak or act against the truth in order to lead someone into error. By injuring man’s relation to truth and to his neighbor, a lie offends against the fundamental relation of man and of his word to the Lord.

  2484 The gravity of a lie is measured against the nature of the truth it deforms, the circumstances, the intentions of the one who lies, and the harm suffered by its victims. If a lie in itself only constitutes a venial sin, it becomes mortal when it does grave injury to the virtues of justice and charity.

  2485 By its very nature, lying is to be condemned. It is a profanation of speech, whereas the purpose of speech is to communicate known truth to others. The deliberate intention of leading a neighbor into error by saying things contrary to the truth constitutes a failure in justice and charity. The culpability is greater when the intention of deceiving entails the risk of deadly consequences for those who are led astray.

  2486 Since it violates the virtue of truthfulness, a lie does real violence to another. It affects his ability to know, which is a condition of every judgment and decision. It contains the seed of discord and all consequent evils. Lying is destructive of society; it undermines trust among men and tears apart the fabric of social relationships.

  2487 Every offense committed against justice and truth entails the duty of reparation, even if its author has been forgiven. When it is impossible publicly to make reparation for a wrong, it must be made secretly. If someone who has suffered harm cannot be directly compensated, he must be given moral satisfaction in the name of charity. This duty of reparation also concerns offenses against another’s reputation. This reparation, moral and sometimes material, must be evaluated in terms of the extent of the damage inflicted. It obliges in conscience.

  There are a few instances where the Catholic Church recognizes that telling a Lie is warrented and not an offence to God. If you are in 1944 France and you are hiding a Jewish family in the celler of your home or farm and the Nazi SS comes to your door and asks you if you’re hiding any Jews or know the whereabouts of any Jews, it’s permissable to lie in this situation. Yes, it’s a lie, but not one that God will Judge you on.

  In Christ,

  Ron Iacone

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