Generally, when most people object to lying, they think about themselves being lied to – or lied about – and consider lying to be a moral indiscretion. They rarely see themselves as being the liar, nor do they consider how they might even unwittingly or unconsciously be lending credibility to a lie told, whatever its source or intent.
A ‘lie’ is defined as “an untrue statement made with the intent of deceiving; a falsehood; that which creates or is intended to produce a false impression.” (Funk & Wagnalls)
Note that the definition, per se, does not necessarily imply any form of criminal or immoral objective; it merely defines a lie as being a statement that does not represent the reality of a given situation or fact.
Even among the Ten Commandments there is none commanding that “Thou shalt not lie.” However, specific forms of lying are indeed implied in the eighth and ninth commandments, which command that “Thou shalt not steal,” and “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” Continue reading »