Can I lie in this case

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mVitus said:
What about the famous hypothetical of Nazis at the door when you’re hiding Jews? “There are no Jews here.” is often seen as moral to say.
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In a case like that, the lie is called a mental reservation. And mental reservations are allowed under certain circumstances.
 
Thank you Deacon Jeff for providing a comprehensive answer to this question.
 
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If I did that then everyone would know that I did, I am in secondary school in English you know 😂
 
(name removed by moderator)'s answer and the article he posted really answer your question
 
It is never okay to lie in ANY case, even to save your life, but you don’t necessarily need to tell them that you did it, because it isn’t any of their business, or you could just remain silent, or if they figure out what you did, accept the ridicule with humility. If they leave you because of some mistake you made or sin you committed, they probably aren’t good friends anyway. :fleur_de_lis:God bless, and I’ll pray for you!⚜️
 
:fleur_de_lis:JMJ:fleur_de_lis:AMDG:fleur_de_lis:

In what other ways would you define “lie?” And what about the basic moral principle that you can’t do something morally incorrect in order to achieve something morally good?

There’s not doubt, however, that if you lie to save your life, or other(s) lives, your culpability is significantly reduced (it’s a venial sin), but it still isn’t correct. And regarding the article you cited, I think Sts. Thomas Aquinas and Augustine outweigh “well formed Catholics.”
 
Well, then you have the answer of how the Cathechism at different times defined it when it forbade lying.
 
Learn to laugh at yourself. If people are laughing at you out of meanness, and you join in the laugh, you ruin their good time and they will move on.

In all seriousness, don’t worry about this. And don’t lie about it. It is fine to just say none of your business when people ask questions that really are none of their business.
 
Yeah, OP you now have 50-some posts, a book of the Bible, and an article to read. I highly doubt you’re still reading so, you have enough info to make a decision.
 
TheOldColonel said:
Subterfuge is an art. So, if pressed on the issue, obfuscate, blur, muddle, complicate, over complicate, muddy, cloud, befog and you should be fine. Don’t be afraid to do a tap dance or the old soft shoe. Diversions are great, too.
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Yes very wise advice here, any one of these would be fine.
I usually use the exaggerate strategy.

So I were you I would say
Oh yes I did it. I planned it when I was born and I’ve been waiting for that day to do it.
So the idea is to exaggerate it so much that it is meant to be a joke.
And telling a joke and humour is not lying.

But It depends on your personality as well. If you don’t usually joke like this then don’t do it.

You just have to find the best way for your personality.

But don’t say none of your business unless that is what you usually say.
 
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This is a matter of wanting to avoid embarrassment, not hiding an innocent person from a murderous psychopath. Dealing with thoughtless friends is not the kind of extenuating circumstance being faced when you are dealing with someone who is demented or worse.
 
My post was in reply to someon3 saying lying was never okay so I brought up a counterexample to that point.

And lying is actually a big part of social life. I recall a newspaper article where a couple parents were told their autistic son had told a lie at school and were glad because it meant he was gaining a skill for social situations.

Examples.
“How are you?”
“Good.” //not really

“Do you mind if I X?”
“Of course not.” //not really

There’s a long human tradition in white lies being a social grease. Just imagine everyone answering every question honestly, especially the ones that social convention has a set answer for you.

“How are you?”
“Terrible, my *son story*”
It just gets awkward from there if you’ve just met.
 
“How are you?”

Answer “This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it” or “The sun is shining/the rain is falling and I am alive to see it” or “I can’t complain”

“Do you mind if I?”

If you do mind then say so.
 
mVitus said:
My post was in reply to someon3 saying lying was never okay so I brought up a counterexample to that point.

And lying is actually a big part of social life. I recall a newspaper article where a couple parents were told their autistic son had told a lie at school and were glad because it meant he was gaining a skill for social situations.

Examples.

“How are you?”

“Good.” //not really

“Do you mind if I X?”

“Of course not.” //not really

There’s a long human tradition in white lies being a social grease. Just imagine everyone answering every question honestly, especially the ones that social convention has a set answer for you.

“How are you?”

“Terrible, my son story”

It just gets awkward from there if you’ve just met.
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I will grant there is a tradition of “fake it 'til you make it” that I would not count as lying because you honestly believe to be answering on behalf of your higher self instead of your lower self.

There is some danger in that, which is this: when you do not consent to believe your higher self. When you resent what your higher self requires you to say and resent the person for whom you are pretending to be a “better person,” that is a lie and not a nice one. In that case, instead of trusting that you are better than you happen to be feeling at the moment, you are trying to get credit for being a more kind person than you are or intend to become.

If you were to turn around and be honest to a third party about whether you “mind” a certain situation you gave into and say not that you were answering as the person you hope to be but instead resent the person who put you on the spot, I think you could be rightly called a hypocrite. Any of us who puts ourself in the place of the person who honestly asked “do you mind?” (instead of the one who is manipulatively asking because we knew our target would put on a false face we could take advantage of) I think we can all see how hypocritical and unfair the person who says “I don’t mind” and then complains elsewhere later is being.

You cannot have it both ways, then. You can honestly be your better self, the one that chooses to be content where your lower self would like to complain. You can honestly be your lower self, the one that jumps on what he or she knows to be a social nicety and turn it into an opportunity to bend someone else’s ear with complaints that are none of their concern. You cannot be both–the person who says “I am fine” and also the one who resents that the person is going to believe the lie you’re telling–without being a hypocrite.
 
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michael-kaw said:
I could in the future be in a really difficult situation here. There could be a time in the future where if I do not lie I would undergo unfair criticism and laughter which I am not comfortable with. My situation is that I committed a sin (which I was absolved of) but if people found out I did it I would be laughed at and criticised and probably loose a lot of friends. If I get put in a situation where someone asks me if I did this sin, could I lie?
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Don’t lie. Lying never justifies the means. Be like Jesus. He was laughed at, criticized and lost a lot of friends. Yet, He did His Father’s Will and was always honest.
 
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