For centuries, Christians have been debating if it is ever right to lie. Their arguments all deal with a Christian’s interpretation of what the Bible has to say about the issue. The ninth commandment asserts “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (ESV Ex. 20.17). This seems fairly straight-forward: a person should never lie. However, the Bible also tells stories of men and women, who are considered people of faith, who have lied. The debate emerges when the question is asked, “In these instances, were these people right to lie?” I believe that it is never permissible to lie except when someone doesn't deserve the truth or doesn't expect the truth.
What do I mean by the exceptions to the rules? The exception the the rules are those who don’t expect the truth and those who don’t deserve it. First are those who don’t expect the truth, they expect deception. One example of a person who falls under this category is someone who watches and illusionist, they expect to be deceived. Another example would be a player in a sports game. They expect to be faked out and tricked. One final example is someone who expects to be lied to when asked what gift they are getting for their
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The most obvious one is the tendency for human error. Every person is going to have a different opinion on who deserves the truth. In some circumstances is can be hard to maintain objectivity because a person may be influenced by personal feelings about the other person. They may have their own reasoning for not telling the truth, but someone else who is emotionally unattached to the situation might see it differently. Another problem that can arise not only from this viewpoint but from others as well is the fact that some may use it as justification for their lies. They continue to lie and then find reasons why their lie was permissible later, instead of admitting that there is a heart
Fabricating the truth in Christopher’s father’s case only prolonged the inevitable effects that he so desperately tried to avoid. Lies ruin relationships as it was difficult for Christopher’s father to regain his son’s trust after lying about two tragic incidents. Whichever way you look at it, being honest is important to maintain healthy, longlasting
Where do we as a society, get the idea that lying is bad? In one aspect this perception that lying is bad roots from the fact that lying can breed distrust. It can breed distrust in relationships, it can be what leads a people to distrust their government; from distrust, comes disorder and all forms of chaos that follows. Due to the fact we are a predominantly Christian nation, I also believe a healthy amount of this perceptions is rooted in the Biblical exhortation “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” This, being the ninth commandment given to Moses by God, is commonly interpreted as “don’t lie.” However, reducing God’s ninth commandment down to something as rudimentary as “don’t lie” distorted its true meaning. It’s more than a mere an instruction not to lie, it is an instruction against the creation of false narratives specifically with the intent to accuse or cause some form detriment towards others. Lying itself is not evil; it is the reason behind one’s lie that determines its morality. However, as a society we are afraid to accept this because then how would it be restrained?
Lying: it’s something everyone is guilty of. Whether they be big or small, lies are everywhere. We live in a society full of lies, so we take the consequences of lying with a grain of salt. There’s no doubt about it; lying can be dangerous. Therefore, we should be more wary of our lies and their consequences. Lies can be detrimental and do have the potential to change society for the worse.
It’s is extremely hard to find someone who is so honest to the point they believe telling even small white lies is wrong. People so dead set on being honest are so rare. Plus most people hate people who are honest due to them not really focusing on others feeling but trying to help them by telling the truth. I think feelings are important if I am taking to someone else but I do not want someone to lie to me just because they believe it’ll make me happier or feel better.
Most people never assumed lying could actually affect their health and the health of others. It can be noted that if a lie is told, one's pulse may be increased for fear of getting caught and they are in an excitable state at that time. They may exhibit a change in facial expressions and body language. Richard Gunderman conducted a study that resulted in "Those who were able to reduce by three the number of lies they told had four fewer mental health complaints (such as feeling tense) and three fewer physical health complaints (such as headaches) than those who did not" (2). This obviously proves a health benefit to the positive side. This possibility of improved health could come from a feeling of being less stressed. By eliminating lies, the liar no longer has to worry about how many lies were told, remembering who they were told to, or weighing out the probability that the lie could be discovered. Gunderman also attempts to determine if people were given incentives not to lie would they attempt to make a valiant effort to do so for the reward. A lie free life could create a sense of accountability and ownership. Not only does lying have health risks that accompanies the behavior, it also could have health consequences to others. A notable lie discussed was the lie of dismissal. In the article "The Ways we Lie", the author makes a strong point saying " The roots of many
Honesty without integrity can also lead to moral disasters. Well, honesty may be important but not sufficient for integrity. Integrity is both essential and significant. It is acceptable and one will agree with what Stephen L. Carter says about a person having honesty but not integrity. There are also some white lies present. Sometimes saying the truth or telling everything you know might hurt somebody. Harm may not be the intention but positively the effect.
Once people know that a person habitually lies, they do not take that person as seriously. Being honest demonstrates self-respect and respect for others. Honesty is appealing and engaging to others. Honesty also sets a good example for people who look up to that person. People will become closer and have faith in an authentic person. An honest person invites authentic and real friendships. Imagine if a friend overhears a lie told by another peer, it is possible that it could damage the relationship. It can be difficult to regain their trust once they are aware of the regular lying. People frequently tell lies to bypass sharing truths that feel uncomfortable or awkward. Lying should be avoided because it is important to share true judgment and care for others. Lying typically ruins relationships whether they are personal or work-related. It is clear that lying creates skepticism and disbelief. Most people will stop asking liars for advice on personal issues because they know they will not get truthful information. Friendships are often broken because of lies that get too big to keep lying about. Lying hides who people really are. People should try to keep a clean slate by staying honest, especially when there are consequences. Lying gets rid of credibility, yet people seem to lie more
People rely on journalist to report factual news and to make political points in helping the American citizen in making their decision when it comes time to vote. Since American’s do not have time to research every side to all the stories that have been published, they count on the media to portray both sides. However, you cannot believe everything that the media reports. If you were to pay attention to the reports given by journalists, you will find that they report on the stories that they feel they want to get out. And when it comes to politics, they have a way of leaning more towards a democratic view. The American media has a way of portraying the news in a bias way, which has been studied, researched, and reported to
(1996) was a broad study that yielded several results. People lie daily, a finding not many would be surprised with. The lie more often outside of face-to-face interactions, unsurprising given the prominence of body language in communication. The types of things people lied about were consistent with ideas of monitoring impression formation; in simpler terms, people often lie to look better to others. It also appears that people lie with some frequency about positive feelings. This suggests that we may not want to take responses or comments about positive feelings at face value, and may want to dig deeper out of concern if we believe these responses to be dishonest. The findings in sex difference suggest that women lie to protect others much more often than men, but also lie more about others more than men. While this reinforces gossip stereotypes, it also reinforces the idea that women are more sensitive. To summarize the findings, if you desire open and honest conversation, you will likely have to encourage it. The prevalence of lying, for positive or negative reasons, is so great that it is a daily occurrence. To combat this, you must first acknowledge the astounding frequency of lying, and then voice your desire for less of it. After all, interactions without lies were rated more positively than ones with lies. If you want a more open, honest,
In Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, the author reveals the true motives of the Parson, a man overcome with godly love. Though Chaucer usually makes even the most evil of souls seem decent, he makes certain there is no other way to describe this person except as lawful and honest. The Parson sets a good Christian example in his character as a whole.
The play “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare explores the complexity of the character Macbeth and how he decides to commit regicide in order to take kingship of Scotland. Macbeth deciding to kill shows the complexity of all of his morals and how some of the characteristic's has become desensitised. Macbeth is a very complex character within the play and explored by Shakespeare through many techniques.
A significant form of interpersonal communication that plays an enormous role in relationships is lying. Lying has evolved into a frequent practice in today’s society. Even though, lying seem to be fond upon, we all have done it multiple times for not just our benefit but for others. In relationships, lying is turned from a negative to positive act depending on the circumstances. It seems as if, you lie in attempt to help another person it’s celebrated than if you lie for your benefits. Lying is known to only mislead or give a false impression in which the false hood can only cause negative acts. Why does one enange in lying if the outcome is negative? The most found reason that people find themselves lying is because of the truth. It is said that many people lie because long-term the truth is worse than the short-term lie. Lying is judged off its cost and benefits. In each situation, there will be outcomes when it comes to the lies being told. Lying to those you have impersonal connection with has less of an impact than those you have an interpersonal relationships. Those that has an impersonal relationships is nearly never affected by the lies told because normally they do not see that person as often as those with the close bonds. I understand that lying can be beneficial in relationship of any kind, but I personally feel that the truth is preferred. There are two consequences that puts strain on the relationship. Termination is the last step in a relationship; there are
However, although this is useful for social interaction, it is a serious problem in other areas. Deception can be a problem when people actively deceive in job applications, giving evidence and in court. Being able to detect whether a person is lying or
As a whole, being truthful to one another can reflect on another’s behavior. For example, as a parent, showing a reflective behavior of truth to your children helps them understand the importance of being honest to somebody. In The Aeneid, Aeneas displays veritas when he tells Dido the truth about their marriage and how he never agreed to it. Some examples of how our culture lacks truth can be exhibited through criminal investigations. Testifying in court involves an oath where anyone who is up on the stand is required to tell the whole truth, if not they face the consequence of perjury with fines and/or imprisonment.
Second: to offer that the Bible is true is to say that we can faith in its content; we believe it to be guide to our faith. We would have to embrace the notion that there are specific assertions about Gods faithfulness and how we should live our lives and reciprocate. These contentions may appear somewhat intricate, but recognizing its intricacies is a way not of evading commitment to the Bible 's truth however of fully addressing to the complex ways in which the Bible is true. Let’s contemplate the rapport between truth and meaning: the truth of a testimonial or a book hinges on what it means. Countless biblical scholars have worked for eons to scrutinize and appraise the text of the Old Testament, the Apocrypha, and the New Testament.