April fools day

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michael-kaw

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I checked on a thread which was closed about April fools day and most if not all the people were saying it was not a sin, however what if it includes a lie (something objectively false with the the intention to decieve) I really hope it isnt sin because after all its only meant for a joke and it will all be revealed at the end.
 
A joke is different from a lie, I think. Interesting question for the philosophy and moral theology experts. 🙂

I think opinions may split on whether there is moral fault in this or not.
 
If lying is part of a joke, and the joke itself isn’t harmful or sinful, then I don’t think that the lying is sinful, either. Lying is an attempt to deceive someone, but in the case of a joke, the lie isn’t malicious.
 
To tell a lie as part of a joke, if it really is a lie, is a sin, since lying is always sinful.

OTOH, if the context makes it clear that the statement either is or at least may be false, then there is no lie.

As to whether or not the fact that it is April Fools Day creates such a context of itself, I am not sure.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09469a.htm
 
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I think this kind of falls into the same category as “surprise parties”.

If the the intention of the April Fools joke is to delay “the truth” in order to allow both the perpetrator and the object of the joke to eventually experience the fun of it then I don’t see the harm.

But some jokes are more insidious in nature and are really just disguised forms of bullying.
 
Agreed. The joke has to be done in good spirits, with no harm meant to come to the “victim”,
 
I have no interest in April Fool’s anyways, so it’s not skin of my back either way.

I would tend to think morally, it would depend on how far in time the pretense was allowed to continue. Still, I can see objective problems with presenting a false hood under any circumstances.
 
April Fool’s Day is where jokes and practical jokes reign supreme. Not the same as lying since everyone expects to hear “April Fool’s.” They know it’s a joke.
 
Yes, but not everyone. Some of us are a bit daft and forget such things. Some people are more skilled at this than others, too.
 
It’s not something I take part in anymore. But as a child, I gave as good as I got. There was never anything mean spirited about the day, it was good clean fun.
 
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