Is it ever right to tell a lie?

1. 60

   GoGreenTipsposted 12 years ago

   Is it ever right to tell a lie?

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2. 56

   kumar24894posted 12 years ago

   Sometimes it is right. Like if we don't want to hurt someone by saying the truth, we can lie that time if we don't want to see them sad.

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3. 81

   jadesmgposted 12 years ago

   Yes, of course. Lie's are a necessary part of kindness and rely on an understanding of other people and how they react to situations. It can be a pretty nice, social thing to do really.

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      sriparnaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with Kumar24894 and jadesmg, white lies are indeed good at times, when you have good intentions. Only take care that when the truth comes out, the person being lied to is not hurt even more and undesirably more damage is not done.

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4. 82

   sriparnaposted 12 years ago

   I agree with Kumar24894 and jadesmg, white lies are indeed good at times, when you have good intentions. Only take care that when the truth comes out, the person being lied to is not hurt even more and undesirably more damage is not done.

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5. 61

   Eunice Stuhlhoferposted 12 years ago

   The truth sets you free now and in the future. So why lie and live in fear of the truth coming out someday-- because it will. If you don't want to hurt someone by telling them the truth, I think one can always find a way of saying things without hurting others.

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6. 92

   peeplesposted 12 years ago

   Of course there are times when telling a lie is better than the truth. I can provide multiple examples.
   Child asks why the teacher is always mean, you tell the child it's really not that bad and the teacher was just having a bad day. Truth may be that she hates her job but is stuck doing it because she's too young to retire.
   Wife asks husband if the new dress she just bought because she loved it makes her look fat, lie and say of course she looks great because the dress meant a lot to her.
   Child asks why parents are getting divorced parent gives the "we just couldn't get along anymore" answer instead of telling them their other parent is a pile of cheating crap.
   Adults lie to children all the time Santa, Easter bunny, tooth fairy, explanations on why they should eat something, or not eat something. It's just part of life. We may not do all of those things but every parent lies about something to their children. "Mommy and Daddy were just wrestling"!

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      ptosisposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Better example is to lie to save a person's life as in Schindler's List.

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7. 71

   yeagerinvestmentsposted 12 years ago

   I was raised to believe that all lies are wrong. I try to hold true to that but find it difficult at times.

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8. 73

   Jim and Beyondposted 12 years ago

   Does God have a "zero tolerance" policy on lying?  If He intends to punish me for lying after I tell my wife her meatloaf was delicious, then I will happily take the punishment.
   
   Truth be told, my wife makes an excellent meatloaf.  That was the first example that came to mind.

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9. 71

   Darrell Robertsposted 12 years ago

   Hi GoGreen,
   
   Nice question. Telling an outright lie is not good.  Many people would argue that it is ok to lie if you are trying not to hurt the other person's feeling, or some one wants information from you that will harm another person.  I think that there are many creative ways to anser questions with out the answer being a complete lie. The answer could be a partial truth, or sometime it is just best to be silent, or refuse to answer the question. 
   
   Welll best wishes.

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10. 84

    pstraubie48posted 12 years ago

    There are times, yes, when i think it is appropriate. If what I left unsaid or what I said would not cause harm or confusion and would avoid needless pain then I think it would be warranted.
    For example, an elderly sibling is nearing the end of her life. She asks about something that would be painful, much too painful for her to handle, then I do believe I would lie. What good would come of me telling her and bringing her needless sadness?
    I am pretty straightforward otherwise. I have often said, if you do not want the truth, don't ask me. That is what I expect from others. If I ask, do you like this hat? And you hate it, I would want you to tell me.

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11. 77

    Cristaleposted 12 years ago

    It's never right to tell a lie, but there are situations that call for it. If the intentions are for the right ones, then it still doesn't make it right but it does make it less malicious.

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12. 72

    stanwshuraposted 12 years ago

    Believe it or not (couldn't resist!), I've gone a round or two with this question, and it would have been much shorter but for my mental tangents.
    
    I take some clumsily concealed pride in being "Ivory honest" (as in 99 and 44/100ths% truthful), the exceptions are too personal and painful.
    
    I am a borderline-severely literal person by default (via some very heavy neuro-cognitive, visual processing and executive function deficits.  As a kid, I was quite the gullible sucker.  Even as an adult, my intensely worldly experience doesn't always prepare me to tell when someone is "jus' kiddin'".  Most familiar people know (or damned well should!) *NOT* to joke around about things I NEED to know and be certain of().
    
    I'm working on reaching the "radical honesty" level - that's 100%, but I have some fears to overcome and assertiveness to learn before I see that as possible.
    
    Yikes - your question!  My answer is that, yes, there is that rare occasion where lying is the unfortunate sole alternative to doing even greater harm.
    
    For example (again, I already qualified this as a rarity), a man arrives home, drunk and angry, and demands from his kid (of any age) "Where the $%#!'s your mom?  She cheatin' on me again (his paranoia)?  WHERE IS SHE?!  I wanna show her how much I (angrily throws arm into lamp, smashing it) LOVE HER!!"
    
    You can buck up, stick out your silly chest and defiantly say "No way I'm telling you.  NO WAY!"
    
    Noble, but dumb.  You might get hurt, and very likely your mom will appear to protect you.  And then......
    
    You can lie and say "I don't know".  Which, after some back and forth results in the previous.
    
    Or, you can tell a blatantly overt whopper like "She's in the basement..." where he then heads, giving you both time to get the hell out.  You can feed him some bait that he'll chomp like a starving piranha - like "She's down at the Blitzed Pub with a guy who can kick your ass!"  He storms out.  You both head to a neighbor's/friend's home and call the police. 
    
    A lie?  Yep.
    
    Acceptible?  HELL yes.
    
    Forgivable?  Nothing to forgive.
    
    Rare?  Somewhat.
    
    Never happens?  Well, maybe not on Sesame Street!
    
    Necessary?  Are you kiddin'?
    
    Justified, right, and, on such an occasion, the lie being your only choice?
    
    Not a damned doubt about it.

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13. 35

    edhanposted 12 years ago

    Some times white lies help to avoid problems or hurt which is good in a way. Of course if a lie causes injury, hurt or problems then it is not right in that way.
    
    Bottom line is if a lie does no harm, I think it will be okay for me.

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    ptosisposted 12 years ago

    Anybody who says that they never - ever lie, is lying to themselves. People lie all the time. It's just different degrees. An outright mean lie is unacceptable to anybody but lies to maintain your job, avoid getting killed or save a person's life is OK in my hub liarliar.
    
    "this sentence is false.", just because someone is lying - we don't have to believe the liar. We all get lied to such much it's 'normal'. Is makeup & a boob job a lie?

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    alphonse georgeposted 12 years ago

    In some rare situations it becomes necessary to say lies so that we do not break others hearts .....but in the long run truth always prevails.

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    wishforallposted 12 years ago

    It depends on the situations. As you can observe that you lie many times a day.
    If it is a lie that can save someone from anything and it wont hurt anyone's feeling or anything.

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    triciajeanposted 12 years ago

    I've been reading these thoughtful answers. Part of the message is that some of us (all of us?) live in a world where it is not safe to tell the truth or where the people around us are not able to cope with the truth. We seem to long for a world where we could be truthful all the times. Seems to be an ideal. But I agree with those who have said, in essence, it depends on whom you are talking to. I try not to lie even then, but I sure don't say anything that would make trouble--for me or for the other person.

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18. 67

    Damodar Bashyalposted 12 years ago

    Yes, it's best to lie sometimes if it brings good result.

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19. 64

    ExpressFreeposted 12 years ago

    No, it would only lead to further complications and problem.  It is always better to tell the truth even if it hurts rather than lying to someone.  It is not good to deceived someone and lose the person's trust along the way.

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