So is it okay to lie? - Part 2

So is it okay to lie? I posed this question and some scenarios last week and the votes are in, and the verdict is: well, it's complicated. How's that for an answer you can trust in? I got answers from quoting scripture, "it's black and white, right there in the ten commandments." To several people quoted Joshua 2 where Rahab lied to protect the Israelite spies, and a few quoted philosophers who have developed intricate moral theories. The bottom line though, and the purpose of the question, was that we need to know the driving force behind the things we do and the things we believe. Sometimes there is an inconsistency between the two.

Kinsey (my beautiful wife) and I were talking about this question. I had her as a captive audience as we were driving around town, so we had time to talk. I asked her what she thought and she said what many people say, "I believe that to lie is wrong, but I would have to do it to protect the innocent." I challenged this thought. I mean, if you would lie to protect them, either you don't really believe that lying is wrong, or you think that lying is wrong with certain exceptions, this scenario being an exception. This is just stating the obvious, I know, but there is a point. We need to examine our process in making ethical decisions, or any decision for that matter.

There are many ethical theories that people use; a biblical ethic, where the Bible is the end all, sort of a "sola scriptura" model. This has certain implications though that sometimes we want to avoid. There are many things left to interpretation here. I mean, even in this simple question two of our greatest historical figures St. Augustine and Deitrich Bonhoeffer end up on opposite sides of the fence.

For the sake of being brief, which I have to constantly keep myself in check with, I'll ignore the many intelligent ideas that people have proposed over time and skip to one that seems to work in this instance to me. I found an answer that satisfied me through Hank Hanigraaff.

Now, before I pass on what he said, I should acknowledge that as I read some more articles, I learned that there were probably many people who, based on their Biblical research, would disagree. That's okay I suppose, at least they are able to give an account for why they believe and it doesn't really matter to me that we disagree on a hair-splitter. We've got other stuff to fight about if we really want to fight. I don't.

So, back to Hanigraaff... He says something like "we sometimes have to choose the greater good." That is, if by lying to some men (smaller offense) we prevent the murder of an innocent life (greater offense) then we have acted justly. Kind of a utilitarian perspective I guess (read Jeremy Bentham or John Stuart Mill). Anyway, it seems to stand to reason that if we're in the position and have a reasonable amount of information (meaning we have good reason to believe that the men in SS uniforms aren't here to court Ms. Frank), I find no fault in making the ethical decision of protecting her from her would-be murderers by lying to them. At least I think.

This too falls apart when we tweak our scenario, but I think we ultimately have to be able to ask ourselves a few questions and make our decision based on our answers to these questions. How does it line up with the idea that James gives us that pure and undefiled religion is this, take care of widows and orphans? Or how about when Christ says that which you have done unto the least of these, you have done unto me?

Some people respond that by taking matters into my own hands, and acting outside of the "clear" rules that we have been given in the Bible, we're essentially saying that we don't believe that it is God's plan, or that God isn't able to save them without our help. Alright, it's tough to argue against that, but I'm not sure how far that is from the tired illustration of the man on his roof with a lifeboat and he keeps asking God to save him, and turning away would-be rescuers, telling them he'll wait on God.

Well, it's complicated. I think we've exhausted that for now, but this begs a couple of questions. For what purpose do we have rules? Why did God give us rules to obey?