"Lying is sin."
I challenged for the sake of clarification, "But what's the definition of a lie?"
It started as "saying something that isn't true is a lie, and that is always wrong"
and ended as "saying something that isn't true, or withholding any part of the whole truth is a lie, and it's always wrong unless you're not comfortable revealing all of the truth (if someone asks you too personal of questions) or you think that lying will lead to a greater good (protecting someone from harm)."
I don't think anyone was happy with the beginning or the ending definition. What surprised me is how a very straightforward and harsh moral guard dog became a soft, comforting little kitten.
I see the problem in two ways that are a pattern from Eden.
- We re-define God's laws. Eve told the serpent God did say the couldn't eat from this tree, or even touch it. (She added the part about touching it.) In our case, I'm convinced that God is far more concerned about deception than lying.
- We justify breaking God's laws. Eve saw that the fruit was "useful for obtaining wisdom" - how can obtaining wisdom be wrong? And when is wanting to be like God bad? Isn't that what we're called to do? In our case, we justified lying and deception, though mostly in reaction to our poor defintion of what part of lying/deception is wrong.
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