This was taken from WOL, the topic is "Why are we lied to?"
It started out mainly as a discussion on relationships, but justifications were inserted on "when" lying was ok,
This is the short answer to that question about the patriachs evading the truth in those occasions: because they were protecting and furthering Kingdom interests and not their own, they were backed up by Jehovah.Jehovah reveals truth to whom it is owing... he reserves the right to withhold it from those who have no right to it.
For instance, when the brothers under ban hide printing equipment, literature, or even fugitives from persecution, they decieve and lie to protect them, and Jehovah blesses them. Enemies of Jehovah have no right to the Truth and He reveals the truth to those who he deems are deserving.
In personal matters however, we owe it to our brothers and to the community in general to be honest in all things.
I have used this quote from The Bible - God's Word or Man's Chapter 12, "A Higher Source of Wisdom" before and I'll insert it here because it becomes pertinent to the discussion again. The entire chapter is about honesty, but I will focus on two paragraphs and the impact of lying:
quote:
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13 This is seen in the counsel not to tell lies. Lies are listed among the seven things that Jehovah hates, and the book of Revelation lists liars among those who will have no place in God’s new world. (Proverbs 6:19; Revelation 21:8) In spite of this, lying is widespread. One business magazine notes: “The U.S. is experiencing the worst outbreak of fraud, deception and related abuses in its history.”
14 Common as it is, though, lying is bad for society and bad for the individual. Columnist Clifford Longley correctly notes: “Lies hurt the liar and the lied-to, at the profoundest level of their being, by severing that essential contact between mind and reality.”
The American Journal of Psychiatry states: “The psychological impact on persons on the receiving end of lies can be devastating. Major life decisions may be based on false information believed to be correct. Lies may also have adverse effects on liars themselves.”
How much better to tell the truth, as the Bible wisely counsels!
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I am so confused!