The Noble Peacemaker repliedThink of the greater good and that should answer your question.

doovinator repliedi try to speak only the truth, but it's very difficult. I often say nothing, or leave part of the truth unsaid. For several years I lived my life trying to be totally honest and never tell a lie, but it didn't bring me much happiness or contentment. I decided that I don't think it's possible, and even if it were, sometimes you'd still be an idiot to try. My policy now is to tell the truth generally, stay silent when I feel it the best course and lie if the truth is both hurtful and unnecessary......

avrila replied"I hate this question. I hate you. I hate everything that you did to me."

Wait. Don't worry. I just lie. So, do you think this is bad?
Well, its not that bad right as I guess this lie may fall into joke. (Hopefully..)

So as you can see, lie is not always bad. It is the intention that matters. If the purpose of you lying can contribute to a much better outcome, do not worry to lie. It all depends on the situation at that time.

Just set your intention correct.

Daniel repliedIts okay to lie.

Lilly P repliedif u lie to improve then it is ok. like if sumone asked if u liked their looks and u didnt but said u did that would b ok but dont get me wrong. even that lie can come bak 2 u and hurt. evry single thing u say whethr its a lie or not can come bak and bite u

kim p repliedNope...Jesus said "...The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (mk 12:31)
I don't see anything about lies, just love, so....

AngelLuv20 repliedA lie to save a life for the better of mankind is never wrong.

Julia G repliedNo, not a white lie. U need to think if it is necessary.

ॐ Plea for Peace! repliedhardly anything is "always" something.

kickindevilbutt repliedThat is one of those....If you lie, you are sinning. Yet if you tell the truth, you will be helping murderers murder.

I am not God so I cannot judge rightly..but I know God would judge the situation rightly.

Now in that case, I would try not to lie but if I had to....I would...to spare the other person's life.

When JD comes, God will judge all things and people righteously.

laurenn ;) repliednope, not at all. just like the example you provided, you would need to.

Katie M repliedI think to lie to save someone or something's life, is ok. You should not lie to make it easier for yourself, but if you really believe that you helping the person, instead of hurting them, then yes you should lie.

Burak K repliedLying is not bad if your protecting someone or if its really important. Trust me most of the Jews in germany lied to live. So if I were them I would do the same thing...

eric k repliedNo.

To spare someone pain is one example.

Larry R repliedYou badly underestimate Christians.

The theological problem you ask about is "the lesser of two evils". This has been discussed in Christian theology since at least the time of St. Augustine, and probably the Jews discussed it long before that. Theology (and Philosophy) recognize that in some situations there simply IS no "good" outcome.

A) It is evil to lie.

B) It is a much much greater evil to turn in your nice Jewish neighbors to the Nazis.

In the example you present there is no "good" answer, your only choices are to balance the evil of the lie to the Nazis against the evil of turning in your Jewish neighbors. Obviously the lesser evil is to lie to protect your neighbors. So in that case the moral thing to do would be to lie.

A similar case would be "Is it moral to steal food if you are starving?" Probably yes...."hungry" no, but "starving" yes.

Surprisingly, some theologians have actually made an argument in favor of legalized prostitution on similar grounds, that the evil inherent in prostitution is a lesser evil than those brought into being if they aren't around...but this is obviously not a majority opinion.

Theology is full of questions like the one you raise....
and I'll give you one to think about tonight...just so you can give it a try.

"Is it moral to steal a life jacket if you are on a sinking ship?"

Goodfriend repliedWell, by most theology "lying" is always wrong because it contradicts God who is Truth itself. However, the truth can be stretched (equivocation or mental reservation) in extrenuating circumstances. For example, you might without sin mentally take the Nazi's word "house" to mean living quarters, and thus hide Jews in the attic and say "no Jews in my 'house.'" See? It gets very edgy there. An outright lie would, though a small sin, always remain a sin because it always contradicts God's nature.
God bless and Merry 12 days of Christmas

soccer is love ♥ repliedI would have lied, but i'm not a Jew or in the 1940's. But I think that it would be moral to lie and say no.

For example if someone said "Can I borrow your phone?" and you said "Oh.. no the batteries dead" meanwhile it's fully charged, that would be a bad situation to tell a lie.

Agron D repliedit is okay to lie in times of warfare

EvangelistPaul repliedSin is always sin. However, there are times in the Bible when someone lied, and the person was blessed because of it. (Josh. 2)

In some situations, there is no right answer, so you have to look to what is more righteous. In your example, telling a lie is wrong, but letting evil men kill Innocent people would be far worse.

♥Luv me or hate me♥ repliedSometimes you need to tell lies like that example you gave.

Reverend Luciferia repliedi heard this one before (don't remember where), but if you truly made it up, then Nope it is not bad to lie, but religions like to think it is bad

marangelyasking@rocketmail.com repliedit's not always bad to say a lie as long as you think of how it affect the future like if it's done to make someone in a bad then its BAD if it helps someone then its GOOD hope dat helps :]

Ron stalking the truth repliedGood example, all ethics are situational.

wizard of the East repliedIt is always bad to tell a lie
Even in germany 1940, better to say 'I don't know', 'I don't think so' etc. etc.
Better to be tactful and avoid telling a lie.
Whatever is to happen will happen, whether u tell a lie or not. Maybe u can avert a disaster by being tactful and having an integrated and upright character.

Seth repliedWell, it's not right to lie. However, in that circumstance, I think God would understand.

Lizard_Luver repliedSometimes it is necessary to lie. If someone you cared deeply about asked how they look in something, it is much more kind to tell them how nice they look, rather than point out their flaws. Parents often need to lie to their children, but all for good things. We all know that Santa and the Tooth Fairy don't exist, but do we really want to let down a little kid by telling them that? Of course not! Parents also often act amazed when their kid comes home from school and says something completely obvious to you, such as "Did you know that 'cat' starts with the letter 'C'?" Parents have to act amazed, or the child won't feel like they have accomplished much. I may not be a parent, but I still think those are really valid examples of times when it is not bad to lie.
Oh yeah, I think it is also totally ok to lie in order to keep a present or something a surprise.

arewethereyet repliedIf at all possible, no, don't lie. There is no such thing as a white lie.

Would I have lied about Jews in the house? I'd try not to by averting the answer "I live in this house Sir, as does my family". I'm not lying. If pressed, I'd invite them to search the house if it pleases them - and hope that they don't find the Jews I'd stashed. Trusting God is a difficult thing to do.

Michael G repliedIt is one of the ten commandments not to lie. But if it is for saving your life e.g. Then jesus will forgive you

Poohcat1 repliedI think the first answer you got was the right one. To lie is a sin...but if the lie is told to protect that which is good, then it is a sin that would be easily forgiven by both God and others.

Elizarose repliedIt wouldn`t be a lie if there weren`t.
I`m not sure... It wouldn`t be bad in this case, because if there was a Jew in the house, then you could possibly be saving their lives.

Teri repliedno...i think there are certain conditions when it is okay...as long as you lying for a good legitimate reason (like saving an innocent person's life).