A Lie By Any Other Name…

In William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, Juliet says, “That which we call a rose / by any other name would smell as sweet.” This well-known phrase means that no matter what something is named, it doesn’t change what it is. Likewise, a lie, called by any other word, is still a lie.

Consider these few synonyms and euphemisms: deceive, misrepresent, distort, beguile, trick, falsify, dupe, delude, fool, hoodwink. Each of these words has a distinct meaning, but all represent a form of lying.

Some attempt to classify lies by subject, motives, or consequences, and also to rank lies from “little white lies” to huge, consequential lies. Now, people do have various motives and give many justifications for lying, and the consequences can range from minimal to severe, but nothing changes the fact that falsehood and deception means lying.

Does God discount “little white lies” or lies to protect someone’s feelings? Does God allow lying if “motives are right”? Does God make any exceptions to His commandment to “not bear false witness” (Exodus 20:16)? How does God regard lying?

We all have been lied to, and it’s likely that we all have lied ourselves. Perhaps we withheld information with intent to create a false impression (lied by omission), feigned ignorance when answering a question, claimed to be innocent when we weren’t, “stretched” or “bent” the truth, pretended to know something when we didn’t, wrongly blamed someone else, or gave false hope or unrealistic encouragement.

Some people lie so much they become compulsive or pathological liars. A pathological liar lies compulsively even when there would seem to be no need nor any benefit to be gained. A sociopathic liar is cold and calculating, manipulating and exploiting victims by any means to achieve a goal, not caring for the harm those victims may suffer.

One of the consequences of any lie is that it will eventually be revealed, destroying credibility. In Aesop’s fable “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” the shepherd boy destroys his own credibility by lying. A person who tells “little white lies” is still a liar, and those who are lied to will eventually wonder, “Is he telling me the truth now, or still lying? What other lies is he telling me? Can I trust him at all?”

There is an old and truthful saying: “Honesty is the best policy.” Yet it also requires wisdom to know when there is “a time to keep silence, and a time to speak” (Ecclesiastes 3:7). To never lie should always be our goal. It is also our goal to love our neighbor. Concealing something about our neighbor that does not legally need to be revealed is an act of such love. Always telling the truth should not be used as a license to assassinate someone’s character with dirty and scandalous information about them. God instructs His people not to be talebearers revealing secrets (Leviticus 19:16) and not to be gossips saying things they ought not (1 Timothy 5:13). Some matters should be concealed (Proverbs 11:13) when revealing them serves no legal or otherwise necessary purpose.

Lying and deceit are in every facet of society and are shared across just about every form of media and through every method of communication imaginable. God warns liars in Psalm 101:7, “He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; he who tells lies shall not continue in my presence.” To abide in God’s tabernacle, one must speak the truth (Psalm 15:2). No liars will be in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:27; 22:15). We should all strive to observe God’s commandment to not bear false witness.

If you found this material interesting, you may also benefit from the Tomorrow’s World article, “Lies, Lies, and More Lies.” Also be sure to read or listen to the free study guide The Ten Commandments.