Mar 7, 2011
Basic ethics question: When is it OK to lie?
(Note: “Just Some Antics” was a short-lived comic from 22 Words.)
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© 2013 Abuyo. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy
Mar 7, 2011
(Note: “Just Some Antics” was a short-lived comic from 22 Words.)
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Where was this cartoon yesterday?!?!
I was preaching Ephesians 4:25 – lay aside falsehood, and I actually used the” does this dress make me look fat question”. I determined the correct answer was “no – your fat makes you look fat.”
Dude, even Yahweh would give your flock a free pass on that question.
ahha. good timing– i’m creating my lesson on “irony” for my English class. I’ll show them this comic.
But this isn’t irony.
Girls don’t understand irony!
..Nor do most men, let’s not generalize genders here
Get a life.
They don’t, or there would be a whole lot more shirts with no wrinkles in ‘em, amirite?
In the book “The Hiding Place” Bettsy was faced with this question by the Nazie’s and because of her belief “Do not lie” she told the truth and God protected the people they were hiding. But it takes faith in God to tell the truth all the time. Many times we just don’t trust Him.
lol what?
Yeh what? God makes people do stupid things not the right thing, everyone should do the right thing anyway because that’s what you meant to do anyway not because some higher power says so and you’ll get a reward when 6ft under.
First of all, your spelling and grammar are absolutely horrible. Secondly, people make people do stupid things.
Thirdly, you’re stupid.
Don’t be so judgemental. There’s every possibility of a higher power and many intelligent and intellectual people believe in god.
different people have faith in different things to help them make the right decisions.
It’s a good thing there’s a overwhelming amount of evidence for gods.
I for one believe Odin is our almighty Allfather, and Thor his son.
Everything else is just a silly fairytale.
Your sarcasm indicates that you won’t consider my argument, but here it goes:
I am not declaring that a god exists, here, I am presenting a challenge.
By defining “god” as a higher power, one not material in this universe, one separates the deity from the physical world. A god in this view is transcendent, and cannot be measured or observed. This fact does not negate the potential existence of a god. The lack of evidence for a higher power would therefore be justified if the higher power leaves no recordable traces in this universe.
An open mind is open to change.
Telling the truth could be seen as you trying to protect yourself from the Nazis. So, you tell the truth to save your own life and all the Jews in your basement die. Congratulations. But I don’t think the Lord would take issue with that. It’s a tough place to be in. The Jews are His children, too; they would be in His hands.
As far as the girl/fat thing goes…girls really shouldn’t ask a guy that. It’s like entrapment. I look in the mirror and determine how I look for myself.
Cute cartoon, though. xD
The Nazis would kill you as well as the Jews in your basement if they found them
That is just awful! “Thou shalt not murder” is a commandment not “though shalt not lie.” Yes, it’s a sin, but sin’s are forgiven, if you ask for it. You are doing it to save lives, I think that is much more noble than being a coward and saving your own skin. If you were to give up the hiding Jews in your basement to the Nazi’s you’d be condemning them to death, which in essentially murdering them. Just because you don’t pull the hypothetical trigger, doesn’t mean you wouldn’t be responsible for the murder of those hypothetical people!
I guess, when weighing the options, I would be a little more devastated that I brought about the murder of a family, rather than lying to the Nazi’s. I guess other people don’t feel that way.
Where was God when all those other people “told the truth” and the families all died? Why didn’t he save them? Or did he only save the person who told the truth?
God is NOT a justification for potentially putting someone in harms way.
Just pointing out the “Thou shalt not bear false witness” commandment… If you’re going to make a point, make sure you know all the material.
First the comic: Answer – “Really, you are worried about how you look? lets keep life in perspective. We are hiding Jews in our basement.”
Barbara, that god of yours has a masochistic streak. He/she/it is what? Going to let people die as a result of a lie? I guess he/she/it values truth more than life itself.”
The point of the story is that he didn’t let the people die. So he was honouring her telling the truth, by not letting anything bad happen as a result.
Still, I’m personally not convinced a lie in those circumstances would have been wrong.
The comic illustration intends to see if people will defend their rationalization of whatever position they take. Personally, I could defend telling the gf the truth and, if the Nazi police were looking for the Jews to torture or kill them, not cooperating with the Nazis. My basis is that the primary motivation of God is to display His glory. So I test my actions, to the best of my knowledge (which admittedly is limited) by asking myself “what would most glorify God in my actions?”
For me, protecting the lives of Jews overrides the wrong in misdirecting the Nazis, knowing that I bear the consequences if the Nazis do find out. On the other hand, I don’t see how lying to my girlfriend about her appearance would help display the glory of God.
You, I like you. I’m right there with you. I think that it’s all about the greater good so to speak. Besides, telling the truth doesn’t have to be harsh and mean. “I’m sorry Honey, but that dress isn’t nearly as flattering as your black one you like so much. You look nice, though! (because I’m sure you think your gf looks nice in whatever she wears)” That way, you’re telling her the truth, You just didn’t address the actual “Fat” part of the question.
I think we’re all overlooking an important qualifier…. Who says it’s the truth that she looks fat? What is she looks banging in that dress? We can’t make a call on circumstances that have many different wildcard factors.
but yes, if she was fat I would diplomatically put her off the question because I’m good at that.
Oh yeah, also, What the hell kind of stupid ho would tell the nazi’s on you for telling her that the dress she was wearing was possibly not her best choice? I don’t know a single girl who would rat out her BF for that.
My husband has to be one of the most tactful men alive. He still is able to answer these types of questions in an honest way and with no damage to my ego. I was 5 (6?) months pregnant and definitely straining the shirts but not yet having that “definite she’s pregnant” look yet. I asked if a shirt made me look fat. He paused and said something to the effect “I believe there are some shirts that you’ve worn that compliment your beauty better. That one doesn’t flatter you as much as others I’ve seen.”
Read the story of Corrie ten Boom and her family and you’ll get your answer about lying. She wrote a book titled “The Hiding Place”. Incrediable story.
Oh, I didn’t see someone above me already mentioned The Hiding Place :D