Is deception ever acceptable?

[HeavenlyOne]

Originally Posted by OneAccord

A lie by any other name is still a lie. If the intent is to mislead, decieve, manipulate, or just outright lie...it is a lie. And a sin.

Sometimes we tell just enough truth to get by (a half-truth) and, because we didn't tell a bald face lie, we think we are okay. But God judges and knows the intent of our heart. If it is our intent to mislead, then we are held accountable for the sin of lying. A "half-truth" is a "half-lie" come to think of it.
Now... just what is a "bald face Lie", anyway?

Uhh.....it's actually 'bold-faced lie'. I have no idea what a 'bald-faced lie' is, nor have I ever heard of such.

As for misleading and deceiving, what if it's not malicious? For instance, you are planning a surprise birthday party for your mother and she suspects you are up to something. She asks you if you are planning a party for her.

What do you say???

Originally Posted by LadyChocolate

Is this like telling those who call you that you are unavailable simply because you don't want to talk...but really you are available, but you just happen to run into the bathroom so your children or spouse doesn't have to lie???

Availability is subjective. If a friend calls who I want to talk to I am available. If it's someone I don't want to talk to, then I am not because I choose not to be available.

Originally Posted by HeavenlyOne

Uhh.....it's actually 'bold-faced lie'. I have no idea what a 'bald-faced lie' is, nor have I ever heard of such.

As for misleading and deceiving, what if it's not malicious? For instance, you are planning a surprise birthday party for your mother and she suspects you are up to something. She asks you if you are planning a party for her.

What do you say???

Haha... We did a surprise party for my mom's 50th and I lied like a dog to her face about everything... It was great to see how surprised she really was when she walked in that night!

[HeavenlyOne]

Originally Posted by Apostolic Kitty

Haha... We did a surprise party for my mom's 50th and I lied like a dog to her face about everything... It was great to see how surprised she really was when she walked in that night!

Confession is good for the soul.....or so I'm told.....LOL!

Originally Posted by HeavenlyOne

Confession is good for the soul.....or so I'm told.....LOL!

Well, I think that was in 2004, so my sins have been long ago confessed...

Originally Posted by HeavenlyOne

Shame on God for not punishing Abraham when he said that Sarah was his sister!

Sarah was Abraham's sister on his father's side. Even though scripture doesn't say that God did not punish Abraham for his deception, how often have people sinned and God did not immediately punish them? Abraham wasn't as perfect and obedient as people like to think.

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by Kutless

Is deception ever acceptable? Is misleading someone the same as telling a lie?
I have a family member who is a professional at doing this. Somebody will ask a question and they have this way of telling some but not all of the story. For whatever reason, usually harmless, but still not the whole truth in a way.

Sometimes I feel like they are genuinly trying to protect the other party or themselves. And sometimes I feel like this is a blatant overuse of some misguided power trip.

To cause someone to believe what is not true is still a lie. Right?

Deception is about dishonestly which is what a lie is. They are all catagorically the same sin

Not revealing all the facts is not necessarily deception

[Kutless]

Originally Posted by Praxeas

Deception is about dishonestly which is what a lie is. They are all catagorically the same sin

Not revealing all the facts is not necessarily deception

So it all comes down to wording.

[HeavenlyOne]

Originally Posted by Kutless

So it all comes down to wording.

And intent.