If you look at the Ten Commandments it’s interesting that there is no commandment that says, “Thou shalt not lie.” There is one that prohibits false witness and there is one that prohibits stealing. (I realize there are more than 10 commandments in the Old Testament and plenty of condemnation of lying in both Old and New.)
But my point is that “lying” can be a sin against either or both of the commandments I mentioned. In one case you are using information, whether actual or fabricated, to hurt someone. In the other you are depriving them of information to which they are entitled.
If someone asks for infomation to which he is not entitled then I think it is right of the person with the information to withhold it. If someone asks for information and they have a questionable right to it and disclosing that information is likely to cause harm to someone, then the person with the information has the right to withhold it. There is usually some way to avoid giving information without being harsh or cruel, but not always.
If a person asks for information and they are clearly entitled to it, the person with the information needs to turn it over. If one has information that clearly should belong to another, then they need to turn it over, whether asked or not. In either case, the person with the information ought (IMO) to have some control over how the information is delivered so that ‘dangerous’ information does the least harm.
The big problem is knowing whether the person asking is entitled to the information. For instance, is a spouse entitled to information about the other spouse’s fidelity?
This has already been mentioned but many of us have difficulty distinguishing between idioms of language and the more objective meaning. For instance, when someone asks, “How are you?” that objectively looks like a request for information. In common usage, however, it is really just a greeting like “Hello.” As a result, a perfectly proper response is, “Fine,” even if one is in terrible straits. Questions like, “How do I look?” or “Did you like my gift?” are really not much different. They are kind of ritualized questions and answers. The problems come along when one or both of the parties fail to understand the nature of the interchange. If someone asks such a question and REALLY wants an objective answer, I think they owe it to the other person to make that clear. In any case, I’m not sure ‘lying’ is necessarily applicable in such situations unless it is clear to both parties that an objective answer is expected.
But my point is that “lying” can be a sin against either or both of the commandments I mentioned. In one case you are using information, whether actual or fabricated, to hurt someone. In the other you are depriving them of information to which they are entitled.
If someone asks for infomation to which he is not entitled then I think it is right of the person with the information to withhold it. If someone asks for information and they have a questionable right to it and disclosing that information is likely to cause harm to someone, then the person with the information has the right to withhold it. There is usually some way to avoid giving information without being harsh or cruel, but not always.
If a person asks for information and they are clearly entitled to it, the person with the information needs to turn it over. If one has information that clearly should belong to another, then they need to turn it over, whether asked or not. In either case, the person with the information ought (IMO) to have some control over how the information is delivered so that ‘dangerous’ information does the least harm.
The big problem is knowing whether the person asking is entitled to the information. For instance, is a spouse entitled to information about the other spouse’s fidelity?
This has already been mentioned but many of us have difficulty distinguishing between idioms of language and the more objective meaning. For instance, when someone asks, “How are you?” that objectively looks like a request for information. In common usage, however, it is really just a greeting like “Hello.” As a result, a perfectly proper response is, “Fine,” even if one is in terrible straits. Questions like, “How do I look?” or “Did you like my gift?” are really not much different. They are kind of ritualized questions and answers. The problems come along when one or both of the parties fail to understand the nature of the interchange. If someone asks such a question and REALLY wants an objective answer, I think they owe it to the other person to make that clear. In any case, I’m not sure ‘lying’ is necessarily applicable in such situations unless it is clear to both parties that an objective answer is expected.
