Do half truths count as lies?

[Theresalux]

Does saying something that is half truth constitute a lie?

For example, this morning I was getting up earlier than normal and I was headed to confession. My mom was also up and asked why I was awake so early. I said “X (the Catholic Church close to my work) has early mass.” Which it does! But it also has early confession which I went to. I hesitated from telling my mom outright that I was going to confession because she had accused me of going too frequently in the past. (I like to make it to confession at least once a week. Also I told my mom that I was going to confession earlier in the week but Father ran out of time.) And that annoys me.

I actually confessed to Father that I occasionally tell half truths.

And I feel bad, so now I plan to sit in on mass for a little bit before I have to go to work so that I can actually attend a little bit of the mass.

So just for future reference, is it a sin to tell half truths so that people come to a different conclusion?

 

[fhansen]

It’s a sin to tell any falsehood. It’s not a sin to withhold truth.

 

[Autumn-Smoke]

I find I Samuel chapter 16 to be very interesting:
God sent Samuel to anoint David as King when Saul was still the King.
Samuel asked God how he could go because Saul would hear about it. God told Samuel to take a heifer with him and say that he was going to go and offer sacrifices and to invite Jesse, David’s father to the sacrifice.

It wasn’t really any of your mom’s business that you were going to confession, and you didn’t have to tell her because that is between you and the Lord. I think you’re ok.

 

[Kaliaa]

Don’t you think it would have been much easier to just tell her that you were headed to church? That would have been the absolute truth and you wouldn’t be worried about the lie in your answer. There is no such thing as a half-truth. You either spoke the truth or you didn’t. Did Jesus tell “half-truths”?

 

[Theresalux]

But I said that “X Chuch has early mass.” Which it does. I just wasn’t initially planning on attending mass. (But then I decided to stay for the first part because I felt bad and wanted to make her assumption true, so that I did actually go to mass.)

 

[Beryllos]

So just for future reference, is it a sin to tell half truths so that people come to a different conclusion?

Here at CAF you will get answers all over the spectrum on this. I am one of those with a more strict position, but I try to be pragmatic as well.

The previous post by fhansen is exactly right. First, it’s a sin to tell any falsehood. So ask yourself in any particular situation if your intention is (or was) to deceive, that is, to lead the other person to believe something that is not true.

In the case you described, you used the word Mass. What you said was truthful, but if you deliberately chose that wording to deceive your mom, then yes, it is a lie. But don’t panic! If you are scrupulous, forget what I just said, and listen to the priest and follow his advice. If you are not scrupulous, you may count it as venial, kind of like a missed opportunity to be more virtuous. I’ll write more on this at the end.

fhansen wrote secondly that it’s not a sin to withhold truth. The Catechism has something on this:

IV. RESPECT FOR THE TRUTH

2488 The right to the communication of the truth is not unconditional. Everyone must conform his life to the Gospel precept of fraternal love. This requires us in concrete situations to judge whether or not it is appropriate to reveal the truth to someone who asks for it.

2489 Charity and respect for the truth should dictate the response to every request for information or communication . The good and safety of others, respect for privacy, and the common good are sufficient reasons for being silent about what ought not be known or for making use of a discreet language. The duty to avoid scandal often commands strict discretion. No one is bound to reveal the truth to someone who does not have the right to know it.

Note that it recommends “being silent about what ought not be known” or “making use of a discreet language.” Perhaps you could tell your mom that you are going to church. Of course the problem is that she may ask what you are going there for, and what do you say next? (Maybe you could just repeat “church!”)

Finally, I think we should look on these difficult moments as opportunities to build trust and strengthen relationships. Sometimes we choose to lie and these become missed opportunities, but we can at any time begin to take those opportunities.

Sam Harris (an author well known as an atheist) wrote an excellent book about lying and the virtue of truth. Let me quote the very last lines from his book:

How would your relationships change if you resolved never to lie again? What truths might suddenly come into view in your life? What kind of person would you become? And how might you change the people around you?

It is worth finding out.