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NASB | Exodus 20:16 ¶ "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Exodus 20:16 ¶ "You shall not testify falsely [that is, lie, withhold, or manipulate the truth] against your neighbor (any person). [Ex 23:1; Prov 19:9; 24:28] |
Subject: Is it always a sin to lie? |
Bible Note: Hi, Mark... Jumping in to the conversation on my lunch break: The idea that "it is ok to lie if the consequence of telling the truth is worse than the lie" in philosophy is called the "teleological suspension of the ethical." It isn't a rule of thumb that one finds articulated in the Bible except in a couple of narratives. Even there, though, it isn't necessarily lauded as moral behavior. Where the teleological suspension of the ethical does come in handy, however, are under those circumstances where we make an exception with a rule that would normally apply in order to accomplish a greater good. (Teleology always refers to the "end state.") For example, as a rule I am careful to drive the speed limit. However, if my wife were to become ill, needing hospital care, I would violate the ethical rule of driving the speed limit in order to attain the greater good of my wife's well being. Our legal system even recognizes the necessity of this sort of thing. It is an interesting question. In Him, Doc |