Mitigation of Lying

[Gozonji]

I know that there are some verses where people have lied for some ultimately good cause, such as Abraham deceiving others about his relationship with his wife, and God has protected them. Are there any other verses in the Bible that suggest that lies or half-truths are acceptable in certain situations?

(This question is related to the morality of telling children about Santa.)

 

[ebia]

I know that there are some verses where people have lied for some ultimately good cause, such as Abraham deceiving others about his relationship with his wife, and God has protected them. Are there any other verses in the Bible that suggest that lies or half-truths are acceptable in certain situations?

(This question is related to the morality of telling children about Santa.)

Santa is basically a game - I wouldn't call it lying.


I don't know that Abraham is a good example, but the midwives in Exodus 1 are.

 

[Memento Mori]

I don't think Abraham was deceitful - it was true that Sarah was his sister after all. I tend to see omissions like Abraham's as prudence, not lies or half-truths.

 

[Gozonji]

I don't think Abraham was deceitful - it was true that Sarah was his sister after all. I tend to see omissions like Abraham's as prudence, not lies or half-truths.

It's true that she was his half-sister, but I'd argue that it was a lie due to the deceptive intentions. His purpose in introducing her in that way was to make people believe something that was not true.


And thanks Ebia for pointing me in a good direction!

 

[Ih8s8n]

Gozonji: Rahab also lied when she hid the spies in Joshua chapter 2, but I wouldn't equate such an action with lying to someone, especially children, about Santa.