Reports of apparent lies by NBC News anchor Brian Williams and President Obama have highlighted the prevalence of dishonesty among Americans as well as the dismissive attitude many have toward it. But the Bible portrays lying as a violation of God\u2019s intended order for the universe — with consequences as real as those that come from failed attempts to violate the laws of physics or medical science.<\/p>\n
Williams is a prime example. He was suspended by NBC for six months after an internal investigation uncovered multiple \u201cinstances of exaggeration\u201d in the veteran journalist\u2019s reporting, including the false statement that he was riding on a military helicopter hit by a rocket-propelled grenade during the Iraq war, the Washington Post reported.<\/p>\n
Obama made headlines when his former adviser David Axelrod claimed in a book released Feb. 10, 2015, that the president lied about his support for same-sex marriage during the 2008 election cycle. As an Illinois state senate candidate in 1996, Obama stated on a questionnaire, \u201cI favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages,\u201d TIME reported. But Obama said during his first presidential campaign that he only supported civil unions and believed marriage \u201cis the union between a man and a woman.\u201d<\/p>\n
Axelrod claimed the lie was an attempt not to offend voters in black churches. Obama countered in an interview published Feb. 10 that he did not lie but was \u201cstruggling\u201d to balance between \u201cpeople\u2019s rights\u201d and \u201creligious sensitivities,\u201d Politico reported. Obama officially endorsed gay marriage in 2012.<\/p>\n
A 60 Minutes\/Vanity Fair poll released last year suggests Obama and Williams are not alone in their struggle to tell the truth. Only 56 percent of Americans surveyed said a person \u201cshould always tell the truth under every circumstance.\u201d The top three areas about which Americans are tempted to lie are their past, their salary and their age, according to the poll.<\/p>\n
So if most everyone is doing it, is lying really that big of a deal? In short, yes.<\/p>\n
Of course, Christian ethicists disagree about whether it is morally acceptable to lie in extreme circumstances. For example, were people in Nazi Germany justified in lying to the Gestapo about hiding Jews in their homes? Was Rahab sinning when she lied about the Israelite spies to the king of Jericho\u2019s messengers (Joshua 2:4-5)? And no one is suggesting a moral obligation to reveal everything we know in every circumstance. But Scripture is clear that the relaying of false information under normal circumstances is a sin with real consequences — even when it is a \u201cwhite lie\u201d or one intended to protect the fibber.<\/p>\n
Honesty is of primary importance in Scripture, first of all, because truthfulness is an attribute of God. The Old Testament teaches that God is incapable of lying (Numbers 23:19), and Jesus said He is \u201cthe truth\u201d (John 14:6). God codified the importance of truth-telling for humans in the ninth commandment (Exodus 20:16) as a way of ordering human interactions to reflect His holy character.<\/p>\n
When the Lord disciplines those who lie, it is not an arbitrary hand slap doled out by a capricious deity. It is the attempt of a loving Lord to align His creatures with what is best for them and purge the world of what is objectively evil. Lies have consequences.<\/p>\n
In Genesis 3, the serpent\u2019s lie led to the ruin of God\u2019s good creation. Abraham\u2019s lie about Sarah being his sister once led to plagues on the Egyptians (Genesis 12:17) and on another occasion to the near death of Abimelech and his subjects (Genesis 20:7). A similar lie by Isaac about his wife Rebekah threatened to undo Abimelech\u2019s kingdom again a generation later (Genesis 26:6-11).<\/p>\n
Jacob\u2019s notorious deception stole his father\u2019s blessing from Esau and led to years of strife between the two brothers as well as their descendants (Genesis 27:1-29). The deception of Joseph\u2019s brothers concerning his death led to prolonged grief in their family (Genesis 37:29-35).<\/p>\n
When Israel was established as a nation, God included numerous provisions about honesty in its laws. The nation\u2019s eventual exile from the Promised Land was partly due to its dishonesty (Isaiah 59:4).<\/p>\n
In the New Testament, Peter\u2019s dishonesty led to shame (Mark 14:66-72) and that of Ananias and Sapphira to death (Acts 5:1-11). At the end of time, the \u201cfather of lies\u201d will be cast into a lake of fire along with the \u201cfalse prophet\u201d and \u201call liars\u201d who have refused to repent (Revelation 20:10; 21:8; John 8:44).<\/p>\n
While all of us have been liars at some point (Romans 3:13), we don\u2019t have to continue such behavior. There is grace and forgiveness in Christ — as well as increasing relief from the consequences of lying the longer we practice honesty. Yet persisting in dishonesty yields a painful harvest. Just ask Brian Williams.<\/p>\n
==================<\/p>\n
Quran: lying allowed to protect Muslims<\/p>\n
Contrary to the Bible\u2019s persistent emphasis on honesty, adherents of Islam believe the Quran permits lying in order to prevent death or injury to Muslims.<\/p>\n
Known as \u201ctaqiyya,\u201d the practice of lying in the name of Islam is based in part on chapter 16, verse 106 of the Quran: \u201cAnyone who, after accepting faith in Allah, utters unbelief under compulsion, his heart remaining firm in Faith shall be absolved — but such as open their breast to unbelief — on them is wrath from Allah, and theirs will be a dreadful penalty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though most often associated with Shiite Muslims, Sunnis have practiced taqiyya as well. Sunnis and Shiites differ over who should be Muhammad\u2019s successor as the caliph, or ruler, of the Islamic community.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver time, pro-Shi\u2019i movements used taqiyah [an alternate spelling] to hide revolutionary activities,\u201d according to the Oxford Islamic Studies website. \u201cTaqiyah became a widely accepted practice, and in the 900s, Ibn Babawayh, a prominent Shi\u2019i authority, declared it to be a religious obligation. Some scholars, however, voiced concerns about the danger of following a policy of deceit. They argued that taqiyah permits Shi\u2019is to say anything and make any claim, and therefore, their words are not trustworthy. As a result, Shi\u2019i scholars created rules for the use of taqiyah .\u201d<\/p>\n
Taqiyya has been advocated by both medieval and modern Muslims. In the seventh century, Muhammad\u2019s son-in-law Ali temporarily accepted the rule of his rivals following Muhammad\u2019s death even though he believed himself the legitimate heir to Muhammad\u2019s authority. Ali\u2019s pledge of loyalty to his opponents was actually a strategic maneuver to preserve his movement until he saw an opportune moment to seize power. Sunnis view Ali\u2019s action as one basis for taqiyya .<\/p>\n
In the 1980s, Islamic writer Afif Tabbarah stated in his book \u201cThe Spirit of Islam,\u201d \u201cLying is not always bad, to be sure; there are times when telling a lie is more profitable and better for the general welfare, and for the settlement of conciliation among people, than telling the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and former Palestinian leader Yasser Afafat all practiced taqiyya in their dealings with the international community, some Islam experts say.<\/p>\n
Hussein was known to break promises to U.N. weapons inspectors, and Ahmadinejad said Iran\u2019s uranium enrichment projects were for peaceful purposes although western leaders suspected that was a lie.<\/p>\n
In 1994, Afafat said in a Johannesburg mosque, \u201cThe jihad will continue, and Jerusalem is not for the Palestinian people. It is for all the Muslim nation.\u201d When questioned by journalists, Arafat said he was merely using the term \u201cjihad\u201d to call Muslims to be more devout in their faith.<\/p>\n
Although Muslim scholars have identified situations in which they believe it is acceptable to practice taqiyya , \u201cin general, they advise against its use, whenever possible,\u201d the Oxford Islamic Studies website said.<\/p>\n
________<\/p>\n
David Roach is chief national correspondent for Baptist Press, the Southern Baptist Convention\u2019s news service.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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