Hey!, Wanna See Some Sin?

"Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet and show my people their transgressions and . . . their sins." Isa. 58:1

22. Lies

22.5b. Different types of lies. Page 2

 

1. Scientific Lying and related misconduct:

Scientific fraud
Pathological science
Faking research evidence
Falsification of scientific test results
Falsification of scientific records
Lying by scientists
Deception by research scientists
Research misconduct
Scientific dishonesty

"According to the USA Office of Research Integrity, misconduct in science means fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, or other deliberate misrepresentation in proposing that seriously deviate from those that are commonly accepted within the conducting, or reporting research. It does not include honest error or honest differences in interpretations or judgment of data. The difference between scientific misconduct and professional misconduct is sometimes slight and the subject of debate. Clearly scientific misconduct is behaviour that directly affect the integrity of research -- embodied in the three great scientific sins: falsification, fabrication and plagiarism; whereas there are other things involved with unprofessional behaviour as a scientist like non-collegiality, sloppy notebooks, poor laboratory supervision, nastiness, not sharing resources, not helping younger colleagues, and indifference to the acknowledging promptly the contributions of others and to the sharing of research materials of importance to others.

Dishonest scientists can mislead other researchers, stain their institutions' reputations, waste taxpayers' money, and sometimes even endanger the public. Occasionally researchers may falsify data in an effort to make their studies more exciting or plausible. Compounding this problem (which, in addition to publication stress, also has financial roots - large medical school debts to repay) is the reticence with which fraudulent practices are brought to public view. Scientists who suspect colleagues of fraud often turn a blind eye as they fear tarnishing their institution's standing, being blackballed by colleagues, and possible defamation lawsuits brought by the accused.

Fraudulent authorship is often the product of the highly competitive world of science. Researchers under great pressure to publish papers may ultimately resort to plagiarism and data faking. Grants and promotions are largely based upon publication productivity, thus it is an accepted practice for senior researchers to co-sign subordinates' studies, even though they may not know much about the data. This co-signing helps younger researchers to publish their research and boosts the publication numbers of their bosses. In addition to flagrant fraud, the practice of co-signing when one has done no research on the study involved, is another form of fraud. Senior researchers should be held accountable for any publications they sign their names to.

Scientific fraud is not limited to modern or minor figures: the verdict of history is that Ptolemy, Galileo, Newton, Dalton, Cyril Burt and Gregor Mendel all tampered with some of their data. Examples frequently cited of pathological science include N-rays, mitogenetic rays, the Allison effect, Piltdown man, Piri Reis map, extrasensory perception, and flying saucers.

A Yale University scientist was fired in 1980 for plagiarizing and falsifying his research work. Another institute found a researcher had faked evidence to show that human skin can be made transplantable without rejection (he was given a one year full-salaried 'sick leave'). A notable Harvard Medical School case involved the discovery of fraud, but the culprit was allowed to stay and continue to cheat.

In 1993, a key US AIDS researcher was found guilty of scientific misconduct for failing to reveal that his laboratory had grown a French version of the virus that causes AIDS (LAV), and in so doing impeded potential AIDS-research progress with LAV.

It has been alleged that initial reports on evidence of the polar ozone hole were discredited by undertaking research deliberately designed to be unable to detect the reported phenomenon.

Practitioners of any scientific discipline are aware of many prominent people in that discipline who have risen to eminence by faking data. They are protected only by the law of libel and by the fact that universities are reluctant to having made mistaken appointments. It has been estimated that possibly 25% of scientific papers have some (usually minor) discrepancy in relation to the original test results. In most cases these do not merit any form of rectification, but in a few cases the discrepancies are crucial.

Given the extreme pressures to publish in order to prove one's validity and in order to earn enough money to repay education loans, it is no wonder that scientific fraud is becoming more prevalent. Until some of the pressures are alleviated (for example, requiring scientists to cite only 3 publications a year when applying for funding, and lengthening the terms of federal research grants), this practice will not be curtailed."

References
Imwinkelried, Edward J The Methods of Attacking Scientific Evidence (1982)
Hanen, Marsha P; Osler, Margaret J and Weyant, Robert G Science, Pseudo-Science and Society (1980)

Broader problems:
Fraud
Professional lying
Exploitation of trust
Unprofessional science
Falsification of evidence
Unethical intellectual practices
Unethical professional practices

Narrower problems:
Pseudo-science
Medical deception
Scientific hoaxes
Professional secrecy
Forged scientific data
Pseudo-paranormal claims
Deceptive social science research
Falsification of programme evaluations

Aggravates problems:
Grant frauds
Unsound science
Abuse of science
Deceptive misuse of research
Dogmatic scientific orthodoxy
Irrelevance of science and technology
Exaggeration of programme achievements
Erosion of quality of scientific research
Inconclusiveness of scientific and medical tests

http://www.uia.org/index.html, Mar. 2002
© Union of International Associations 1997 - 2000

 

2. Deceptive social science research:

"Openness and honesty are two essential characteristics of the relationship between investigator and research participants, but these are repudiated when participants are subjected to research the means or motives of which have not been honestly explained.

In one study, male undergraduates were falsely led to believe they had been sexually aroused by photographs of men and their responses to such information studied. In another, subjects were surreptitiously given LSD.

Deceptive social science research is an interference in the subject's freedom of informed choice. It also makes a mockery of the trust one human being places in another, especially someone in authority who would normally be assumed to be trustworthy."

Social science lying
Deception in the social sciences
Scientific misconduct
Unethical practices in social science
Deceptive survey research

http://www.uia.org/index.html, Mar. 2002
© Union of International Associations 1997 - 2000

3. Lying in the name of professional confidentiality:

Professional condoning of unethical practices by clients
Collusion of professionals with immoral acts of clients

"Professional confidentiality is a long-standing right (and expectation) accorded to relations between doctors, lawyers and the clergy and their clients. The mutual understanding of personal confidentiality is now extended to other professions where a relationship of intimacy and trust is necessary, such as to accountants and therapists. Professional confidence protects the privacy of the individual and so may permit disclosure of otherwise illegal, incriminating, embarrassing or shameful matters. The problem arises when a sharing of confidences becomes, in effect, a collusion of deception which has the potential to harm others, or threatens to make the professional a party to illegality, or some similar serious consequence. The cloak of confidentiality can expand to include what professionals hide from patients, clients, and the public at large. This prevents outsiders from finding out about negligence, overcharging, unnecessary surgery, or institutionalization. Confidentiality is also used to protect incompetent colleagues, companies, or entire industries.

Hypothetical examples are: a lawyer to whom her client has confessed murder and whose defence convicts an innocent party; a family doctor who fails to reveal to one spouse that the other has AIDS; a financial adviser who knowing certifies the accounts of a business indulging in tax evasion; and a priest who repeatedly absolves in confession a multiple child-molester. A recent twist on the latter scenario is the Italian journalists who confessed very serious, but fictitious, offenses to priests and were consistently absolved of sin and often counseled, in the case of criminal offenses, not to tell the police.

The medical profession should safeguard the public and itself against physicians deficient in moral character or professional competence. Physicians should observe all laws, uphold the dignity and honor or the profession, and accept its self-imposed disciplines. They should expose, without hesitation, illegal or unethical conduct of fellow members of the profession (American Medical Association's Principles of Medical Ethics). In practice such exposure is extremely rare.

Surely a train driver's drug addiction is more than his private affair, just as the guilt of the client on whose behalf the lawyer cooperated in perjury is not a matter of privacy alone."

Professional secrecy
Unethical professional practices
Professional lying
Unethical practices
Professional negligence
Surgical mistakes
Abuse of confidentiality
Concealing unethical practices

http://www.uia.org/index.html, Mar. 2002
© Union of International Associations 1997 - 2000

4. Mutual deceits (Lying to liars):

"Mutual deceits may be socially-condoned compacts of convenience, as in the bargaining rituals over items in a bazaar, or collective wage bargaining in industrialized countries; or they may involve mutually-destructive games or dangerous intrigues, as in espionage and criminal double-crossing.

The investigating journalists of Watergate falsely told people that others had already given certain bits of information or had said something about them. This strategem helped unravel the tissue of lies underlying the event."

Related problems:
Self-deception
Defense information uncertainty
Deception between sexual partners

Aggravates problems:
Distrust
Distrust of interpersonal relationships

Aggravated by problems:
Investigatory malpractice
Unshared mutual responsibility

http://www.uia.org/index.html, Mar. 2002
© Union of International Associations 1997 - 2000

5. Lying to cover up environmental safety problems:

Cover-up of unsafe buildings
Cover-up of unsafe industrial installations
Cover up of unsafe equipment
Cover-up of unsafe transportation systems
Suppression of information concerning health hazards
Non-disclosure of threats to public safety
Concealment of environmental health risks
Concealment of groundwater pollution hazards
Cover-up of environmental pollution

"In certain countries, such as the UK, information on the results of government safety tests on consumer products are not available to the public. Similarly information on the possible environmental hazards of toxic materials stored in a factory is not available to those living in the neighbourhood. Information on the results of safety tests on food additives or drugs is similarly classified. In 1993 a study indicated that the UK government had disguised the true level of automobile pollution by siting monitoring stations away from busy streets in direct contravention of the law. Actual results on such streets showed levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution in breach of the upper safety limits set by the EEC/EU.

Governments sometimes prefer not to inform public about air or water pollution levels and potential ecological disasters. In the UK in 1992, a register of contaminated land sites was delayed indefinitely amid fears by property developers that it might erode the value of sites and bring public demands for an expensive clean-up. In 1993 the German government was obliged to admit that officials had suppressed information on hundreds of cases of HIV-contaminated blood during the 1980s. The laboratory responsible had also exported blood to other European countries. Files kept secret for many years until 1994 revealed that the former Soviet Union systematically slaughtered a large part of the world's protected whale population.

DuPont in the United States was the inventor and largest manufacturer of CFCs. When it was discovered that CFCs were destroying the ozone layer, and for many years afterward, DuPont worked to delay and undermine efforts to phase out their use. DuPont's history shows well how within chemical companies emerging knowledge of potential risks is seen first and foremost as an impediment to profits, or even a harbinger of bankruptcy. The industry's approach is not geared to respect for human rights, but rather to what the company can get away with within the confines of government interventions."

http://www.uia.org/index.html, Mar. 2002
© Union of International Associations 1997 - 2000

6. Different types of lies: (the following contains the use of all caps, but it was written before the computer age when caps indicated emphasis, not yelling)

1. FLATTERY

[Saying anything more or less than exactly what you think or feel in your heart about someone else.]

"Almost everyone seems to be contaminated more or less with the spirit of flattering folk - lying to them.

Solomon was right when he said, "A flattering mouth works ruin.'' One of Israel's gross sins, which they committed while wandering in the wilderness, was their flattering God with their mouth (Psa. 78:36). Of all flattering and lying that one could be guilty of, there is none worse than flattering God. So be careful how you flatter any of God's people today, for God considers anything you do to them as though you did it to Him (Matt. 25:40). People who sin by flattering someone with a lying tongue are considered, by the Lord, to be very wicked (Psa. 5:9). Therefore, "Let not your lips speak that which is not in your heart,'' -- The Talmud."

2. PERVERSE LYING

"While this is one of the various forms of lying, it is also another form of "two-faced lying.'' It comprises lying by statements and reports by the same person which do not agree. One cannot tell the same thing differently and tell the truth. God is going to CUT OFF all flattering lips (Psa. 12:3)."
"Two-faced lying,'' for "With flattering lips and with a DOUBLE tongue do they speak.'' Yes, flattering liars will pretend to your face this form of lying is very destructive to the offender "PERVERSENESS of transgressors shall DESTROY them,'' -- Solomon. The Wise Man also advises us to put perverse lips far from us (Prov. 4:24) and instructs us: "He that is perverse in his ways shall fall AT ONCE.''

3. EXAGGERATION
"To exaggerate means to overstate, stretch, magnify, color, etc. . . . Any time he overstates things he is guilty of exaggeration - lying. Keep this in mind, there is no rubber in the truth; it cannot be stretched. The Wise Man says, "Add you not unto his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar,'' (Prov. 30:6). So any kind of adding to the truth makes a lie out of it."

4. DIMINISHING

"This form of lying is just opposite or reverse to the one just defined. It is committed by taking from instead of adding to. One is tempted to do this more often when he is reporting what others have done, especially if there is any ill-will or jealousy buried in his unchristian heart. One is warned of the danger of this act in Rev. 22:19. What is true concerning God's Word is also true concerning taking away from or diminishing the truth."

5. POLITE OR MANNERLY LYING

"It takes great self-control and great sensitiveness to the checks of the Spirit to order our conversations aright and steer clear of lying, when it comes to everyday manners, customs and living up to the modern rules of etiquette. David says, "They speak vanity every one with his neighbors ... and with a DOUBLE heart do they speak.'' [Psa. 12:2]

6. CONFIDENTIAL LYING
"He that is of a faithful (truthful) spirit conceals the matter,'' [Pro. 11:13] but he that has an unfaithful (untruthful) spirit reports things and tells things which he has promised not to divulge. This divulging confided news, secrets, information or whatever it might be is nothing less than "Confidential Lying.'' When one divulges or makes known what he has promised not to tell, he has lied."

7. TATTLING

"Most tattlers tell lies one way or the other. They either add to, take from, or pretend to be a friend to both parties or all concerned. You know one cannot do thus and avoid lying. Solomon says, "A talebearer reveals secrets,'' [Pro. 11:13] and when he has done this he has lied. Some tattlers can be classed as "two-faced liars'' while others may tell the truth regardless of what may take place. They often pretend to be a friend to the party to whom they divulge things when they are an avowed enemy. Paul informs us that tattlers speak things which they ought not (I Tim. 5:13), and no one should tell lies."

8. CUNNING LYING

"Cunning liars stay close to the truth to the extent that one often does not suspect them to be guilty of lying. Half-truths, three-quarter truths, nine-tenth truths, etc., when judged as a whole, are all lies. A little lying even spoils any amount of truth, and turns the whole thing into a lie; for no amount of truth will convert a lie into the truth." [1 Jn. 2:21]

9. PROMISSORY LYING

". . . everyone who does not keep or fulfill his promises, or does not carry out what he has pledged himself to do, lies in this form. This form of lying is so serious and damnable that Solomon says: "Better is it that thou should NOT vow, than thou should vow and not pay.'' . . . [Ecc. 5:5] These promises one makes to God when sick, when out of work, when perplexed concerning what step or move to take or make, had better be kept; also those promises made to wife, husband, children, parents, neighbors, the groceryman, to pastors by evangelists and to the evangelist by the pastor, to a church by a pastor and to the pastor by the church, to those who request our prayers, to the lender or to the borrower, etc. Much lying has been done along these lines.. . . Our word should be our bond."

[Note: Another example is the failure to honor marriage vows to love, honor and cherish.]

10. SANTA CLAUS AND RABBIT EGG LYING

"This form of lying often makes atheists out of children whose parents are professed Christians or have embraced the Christian faith. "Oh, wait,'' someone says, "one never lies in this manner!'' Why not? Any untruth is defined as being a lie. There never has been a Santa Claus, as he is pictured to the children, and there never will be. There is no truth in such lying.
The . . . "Santa Claus Lying'' [is] so timed that it is told to the children right along with the story of Jesus when Christians are celebrating the anniversary of their Saviour's birth into the world, and at a time when the child's mind is tender and easily impressed. Then . . . it [is] timed for him to find out the falsehood of the story concerning Santa Claus just when he should be believing the true story of Jesus and just when he should be embracing the Christian faith for himself -- just as he reaches the age of accountability. We are often made to wonder why many children turn their backs on the churches in which they were reared and have no confidence in God or the religion of their parents.

Rabbit Egg Lying is what might be called another one of those "religious lies,'' and is timed similar to "Santa Claus Lying,'' in that it is told at the very time we are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ which is the Christian's "basic hope.'' See 1 Cor. 15:12-22; 1 Thes. 4:13-18; Job 19: 25-27; Psa.49:15 and Isa. 26:19."

[Note: Atheists' web sites often mention this contradiction of behavior in discrediting Christianity.]

11. PENTECOSTAL LYING

"Probably you have never heard of this form of lying either. We call it "Pentecostal Lying'' because no one except Pentecostal People ever lie in this manner. Brother, the world has one on us here when we lie in this manner. Here is how it happens. We are about the only church today in which brothers kiss the brothers and sisters kiss the sisters with the "Holy kiss'' (Paul: 2 Cor. 13:12), or the "kiss of charity'' (love), as Peter calls it (1 Pet. 5:14). Therefore, this form of lying is only peculiar to Pentecostal people. So any time a brother kisses a brother or a sister a sister whom she or he does not love, they have lied by their actions. See John 3:14."

12. LYING MOTTOES

"While some Christians and people would not outright tell or act a lie, they will put up mottoes to lie for them. When a man hangs up a motto in his home that says "Christ is the HEAD of this house'' when his wife is the boss, such a motto lies for him to everyone who reads it."

[On a national level, we still falsely proclaim, "In God we trust."]

13. HYPOCRITICAL LYING

"Do hypocrites lie? One cannot be a hypocrite without lying (1 Tim. 4:2). All PROFESSED Christians lie in this form. One has to be a real Christian, a POSSESSOR of the Spirit of Christ, in order to always tell the truth. Hypocrisy is defined as being the act of pretending to be what one is NOT - lying actions. . . . Knowing that all hypocrites lie (1 Tim. 4:2), how is it that one would ever aspire or even allow himself to be one? No wonder Isaiah says, "FEARFULNESS has SURPRISED the hypocrites (and) who among us shall dwell among the devouring fire? (and) everlasting burnings?'' Isa. 33:14. The One whom St. John saw on the throne in heaven answers these two questions asked by Isaiah. . . .

When Paul said, "Let love be WITHOUT DISSIMULATION,'' he meant for us to be honest concerning the extent of and the manifestation of our love for our fellowman, the lost, the afflicted, or toward our brother in the Lord. The margin of many Bibles renders the word "dissimulation'' to mean "hypocrisy.'' . . Any time one is not truthful and honest in his sayings and actions, he lies and thereby dooms himself. Hypocritical lying. . . .(Rev. 21 :8)."

14. THE LYING SMILE

"This form of lying might puzzle some of you if you were left to define it; but remember this kind of lying would not be hard for a hypocrite to perform. See 1 Tim. 4:2. When our enemies meet us with a smile, they meet us with a lie. Many who appear to be 'smiling joy' are often ready to burst into tears, and would if they would only let their inward feelings truly express themselves. There was no guile (deceit) about Jesus (1 Pet. 2:22) and there must be none found in His true followers."

15. TWO-FACED LYING

"There seems to be many forms of this lying. Some of them we have already referred to. Any time one acts friendly toward another when he is his avowed enemy, he is guilty of this form of lying. Joab pulled this one on two good honest men and men of great military worth to Israel, Abner and Amasa. See 2 Sam. 3:26-28 and 20:8-10. This form of two-faced lying is generally prompted by some bad and wicked motives. Hitler and his generals pulled this form of two-faced lying on the Russians, to their own sorrow and annihilation as a ruling party or power.. . . Joab had to be slain for this act before David and his successors could clear their hands before God, of Abner's blood - due, I suppose, to the king's responsibility to God for all the acts of the nation. Backbiters, tattlers, gossipers, whisperers and most of all troublemakers in the church lie in this manner, more or less (Psa. 12:2). David says, "They DELIGHT in lies (of this nature) : they bless with their mouth (as Joab did to Amasa: 2 Sam. 20:9,10), but they curse INWARDLY'' (are boiling over with anger), Psalms 62:4."

16. LYING IMPRESSIONS

"To deliberately plan to leave a wrong impression by act or gesture is equally as bad as speaking a lie. Nor shall we act a lie by refusing to tell the whole truth. Playing the insanity role also comes under this heading. David played the insanity role before Achish, king of Gath, and his servants. "And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the King of Gath. And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad (crazy) in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.'' Though David managed to fool the king and make his escape by those lying impressions, he did not escape the guilt of lying. The Gibeonites fooled Joshua and the elders of Israel with their old worn-out clothes, sandals, stale bread, etc., to later become their servants for their lying impressions. See Josh. 9:3-16. "

17. SILENT LYING

"Paul informs us that there are those "who hold the truth in unrighteousness'' (Rom. 1:18). One could do this by refusing to "amen'' the preaching of the truth (Rom. 1:25) or by refusing to speak or preach the truth himself. As the old saying goes, "Silence gives consent,'' or admits a thing is true if not contradicted by some word or action. There are times when a Christian is compelled to speak, or lie by keeping silent. Be a man, by God's grace, and stand up or speak in behalf of the truth when necessary. See Psa. 94:16."

18. "AMEN,'' "PRAISE THE LORD,'' AND "GLORY TO GOD'' LYING

"Are you one of those who never heard of one lying in this manner? Any time a preacher informs his congregation: "Everybody who is happy say, 'Praise the Lord,' 'Glory to God,' or 'Amen','' and they do so when they are not really happy, they lie in this manner or form. To make such declarations at any time in an insincere attitude is lying; for one has to speak the truth from his heart to avoid lying by such expressions, or any other kindred sayings (Psa 15:2)."

19. LYING ASSERTIONS

"When the following statements are not true, they become lying assertions: "I am so happy,'' "I believe every promise in the Book'' (Bible), "I fully trust God for both soul and body,'' "I enjoyed the sermon,'' "I enjoyed your singing,'' "I am so glad to see you,'' "I am glad you came,'' "Hurry back,'' "A grand time,''. . . "You are the grandest person in the world,'' etc. Remember, ALL Liars are going to be punished (Rev. 21:8)."

20. JUSTIFICATORY LYING

"Remember this, most excuses are framed with lies. It is a dangerous thing to attempt to make an excuse. The blueprint for excuses calls for a certain amount of lying and many people are making excuses all the time for their shortcomings as a Christian, neighbor, lender, borrower, foreman, employee or employer, etc. Excuses for this and excuses for that lying instead of confessing their guilt. The best way around "justificatory lying'' is to confess - shell down the truth (Prov. 28:13). For "he who DENIES his guilt DOUBLES his guilt.'' -The Talmud. In other word he adds sin to sin, as a general rule, when he makes excuses. People who continually offer excuses for their shortcomings seldom mend, improve or change their way of doing. On the other hand, people who confess generally change their way of living and acting. According to Jeremiah 3:11, a person who justifies himself is in a backsliding condition if not already backslidden. Job had this to say: "If I justify myself (which can only be done by making excuses), mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, 'I am perfect,' it shall also prove me perverse'' (Job. 9:20). Justificatory liars are going where all other liars go - to the burning lake (Rev. 21:8)."

21. BACKTRACK LYING

"The title used for this form of lying is either carved or colloquial. The true meaning of this form of lying is TO RETRACT, which means to take back something that has been said; to recall an utterance; to draw back or draw in, renounce, repudiate, etc. One has to watch about taking back what he has said or promised to do, especially if it is done in the attitude of disregarding those concerned, or due to the lack of interest in fulfilling his promises, else he will be found a liar in the sight of God.. . . ."

22. LYING BY DENIAL

"This form of lying is committed by one denying what he has formerly said or done and is often committed by one denying his guilt when guilty. Anyone can readily see that such an act as this is nothing but lying. However, some people become very bold in their lying in this manner. Sarah, Abraham's wife, laughed concerning the Lord promising her and Abraham a son when they were both old and stricken with age, and when she discovered that her laughter had displeased the Lord she denied committing the act -to His face - and in contradiction to His own knowledge and observation of her act - when she knew she was guilty. According to the Scripture, she let a spirit of fear frighten her into lying by denying her guilt (Gen. 18:1,9-15). This, however, did not justify her for lying to the Lord, neither did it take away her guilt. She had lied, and the Lord had to rebuke her to her face for her sin. May we not expect God to deal severely with us if we, too, lie in this manner? I think so, for God is no respecter of persons. He deals with all alike (Rev. 21 :8). . . .The person who says he has forgotten certain things when he does remember, lies in this manner. Many are those who have lied by denying their guilt or by claiming to have for gotten things they faintly or definitely remember. . . ."

[Including past American Presidents.]

23. DECEPTIVE LYING

"In a sense, all lying may be deceptive; but any time one undertakes to deceive another, he will very likely lie in this manner. Solomon says, "A deceitful witness speaks lies.'' All kinds of divinations, witchery, fortune telling, false claims of being led of God in order to deceive people, false interpretations of the Scriptures and the false interpretation of tongues, false reports concerning organizations, bank assets, investments, stocks, bonds, etc., all lead to and constitute this form of lying. . . . This kind of lying not only has its bad effect upon the guilty party; but it dooms so many of the hearers or receivers. Look at what happened to the "Man of God'' to whom the false prophet lied, as recorded in the 13th Chapter of 1 Kings. The Man of God lost his life as a result of being deceived by the false prophet's lies. Many honest-headed people will likewise lose their souls for believing some lying preacher's instructions concerning HIS THEORY of the plan of salvation. . . . "

24. PSYCHOLOGICAL LYING

Psychological lying is psychology falsely applied, if I understand correctly the basic principles of Psychology. See 1 Tim. 6:20. When one pretends to be interested in something when he is not, or vice versa, in order to deceive another person into doing or not doing something, he has lied in this form. It goes like this: a certain man's wife was in the habit of visiting her relatives when she decided to do so, regardless of whether it pleased him or not. He first tried to hinder her by outright objecting and possibly refusing to let her have money for her fare and the expenses of the trips. Such tactics failed. He then decided he would deceive her into staying by the use of a little lying psychology. The next time she spoke of going home he pretended to be highly in favor of her going and offered to assist in almost every way imaginable. She decided he must have another woman dated or something unusual in mind that demanded her absence, so she persistently stayed at home, as she figured, to his sorrow and to her good pleasure. This was the whole aim of all of his plans and actions, to get her to stay at home; but the poor fellow lied to accomplish his desires. God's Word does not make any allowances for any form of lying. See Rev. 21:8."

25. COURTSHIP LYING

"Sampson set the example of this form of lying. He lied to his girl friend with little apprehension of the consequences to follow. He was soon robbed of his God-given strength, his liberty or freedom, his eyesight, his girl friend, and died with the uncircumcised (unsaved). See Judges 16:10-31. This pretending to love a boy friend or girl has led to many a broken head, and in some cases an act of suicide or an unhappy marriage. Love from only one party after marriage does not make for a happy union or home. This form of lying often leads to divorcing, a remarriage on the part of one or both, and then adultery and HELL. It is going to be a bad thing for one who enters hell to be able to trace his or her steps back to courtship lying, either on his part or the part of his companion. Boys and girls, men and women, widows and widowers, you can certainly gain nothing by lying during courtship. Don't pretend to love another when you have no love in your heart for them."

26. MATRIMONIAL LYING

"The marriage vow is seldom taken very seriously any more. Men and women are thus lying to ministers, judges or those who officiate and to God, when they do not carry out the promises made at this time. These promises are made before God and man and are never to be broken except by death. This form of lying leads to separations, divorcing, remarrying, wrecked homes, scattered families who become strangers to each other; fatherless, motherless and homeless children; adultery, fornication, heartaches, misery and hell (Rev. 21:8).

The home life of America and the whole world is headed for the rocks, and this form of lying is playing its part in accomplishing these things. If man does not repent of his lying and the many other sins he is committing, God will have to bring him into judgment and punish him for his ungodly ways. Of all people who should tell the truth concerning holy matrimony, it is those who profess to be Christians, and it pays anyone and everyone else to tell the truth."

27. COMRADESHIP LYING

"Paul cautions Christians to "Lie NOT one to another'' (Col. 3:9). This form of lying is often carried on between husband and wife, partners in business and various associates. This breaks up homes, dissolves partnerships, causes friends to become enemies, etc. Remember, one's lack of being a Christian does not give him permission to lie. Anyone who lies is going to reap his sin. Gal. 6:7 and Num. 32:23."

28. UNDERMINING LYING

"This is a form of lying which is carried on to injure a person by cheating him out of a position, such as: a church, an office in the church, to keep some evangelist from being given a meeting, in order to accomplish the removal of some official in the church or a business concern, to destroy someone's reputation or prestige, etc. Much lying is done in this manner in all walks of life, . . ."

29. OFFICIAL LYING

"We may look for "wickedness in HIGH places'' these days. David says, "Surely. . men of a HIGH DEGREE are a lie.'' In Revelations 2:2 we read: "You have tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and have found them (to be) LIARS.'' We do not like to think of men of such rank and file ever being guilty of lying; but it is sometimes the case, to our sorrow and their shame. . . . Those who would refrain from lying for personal gain or purposes should refuse to lie for corporations, insurance companies, railroads, banks, governments, churches or what not (Rev. 21:8). Official reports concerning these various firms and associations should contain nothing but the truth. Remember, if we lie for the other fellow, we become a partaker of his sins, which the Scripture turns warn us against (1Tim.5:22)."

30. THE LIE OF MOOCHING

"This form of lying does not necessarily include the hobo or professional tramp just the person who claims to have had a streak of bad luck, some serious illness or misfortune -of life. There is so much of this form of lying until one never knows who to help or who is really in need of food, clothing or a few nights lodging. He often wants money to buy liquor, dope, tobacco, or to gamble with instead of something to purchase food and other necessities. These mooching liars will come right into the church telling their lies. They seem to take pleasure in infringing upon the charity of religious institutions and their constituents. Poor fellows, they come to a place seeking death where they should be seeking life, and do not realize what they are doing."

31. PITIFUL OR HOBO LYING

"Many professional tramps or hobos tell little truth when they ask for something to eat. They often pretend to be hungry to get something to carry on with them to eat later. They could get it just the same by telling the truth. The writer knows of one professional beggar who claimed to be dumb as well as partly paralyzed, who forgot and began to talk during a conversation. That lie I caught him in made me disbelieve the rest of his story, and consequently I did not help him any more."

32. PROFESSIONAL AND QUALIFICATION LYING

"People who claim to be trained or experienced in any line of work for which they are not, lie when they make such claims. Employers have been imposed upon so much by this mode of lying until they have taken many precautions against employing such men, and yet some of them get by all their examinations and requirements. Men claim to be carpenters, mechanics, painters, machinists, pipe-fitters, welders, various kinds of oil field workers, etc., who never worked a day at such trades. Any kind of a false claim is a lie."

[See also: lies on resumes]

33. MECHANISTIC LYING

"This form of lying is so common today until one almost expects to get swindled when he carries his car to a garage for repairs. Many mechanics lie concerning what is out of operating order about the car, or lie concerning the repairs made and the standard price for same. People are often charged for repairs which are never made and for parts which are never installed. The writer heard of a garage owner who gave a shop foreman a "once-over'' for not using his pencil more when charging for parts and repairs. What is true concerning the car mechanic is often true with other mechanics -- they lie, too, concerning the things they repair."

34. PARENTAL LYING

"Parents often lie to their children -- not intentionally every time -- concerning many different things, which is a very bad thing to do. One who lies habitually to his children need not expect anything less of them (Gal. 6:7). Children often blame their parents for their lying when they know their parents have lied to them -- set the example before them. Some children detect or discover so much lying in their parents, until they must say about the same thing which we find recorded in Jer. 16:19 -- "Surely our fathers have INHERITED lies.''

. . . No wonder we have so many liars in the world today. Many parents are training their children to lie by lying to them or before them.

[Parents who make idle threats or empty promises in order to elicit certain behavior from their children are lying to them as well as teaching them to lie.]

35. JEALOUS LYING

"Jealous lying is that form of lying which is prompted by jealousy. It is said, that "jealousy is as cruel as death'' and that is about true. Jealousy has prompted many people to lie even to the extent that it caused someone to lose his life or be seriously injured. Jealous children often lie on their brothers and sisters to their parents. Jealous deacons, musicians, singers, Sunday School teachers, etc., lie on one another to their own shame and to the reproach of the whole church and cause of Christ. Jealousy blinds people, spiritually speaking, and they never see the harm they will cause by lying before they do such a thing. People in almost all walks of life -- the barber, doctor, dentist, groceryman, druggist, mechanic, carpenter, brick mason, electrician, lawyer, welder, etc. -- are at times overcome with a spirit of jealousy which prompts them to lie on their fellowman.. . ."

36. [Lying about supply and demand, availability, cost to produce or manufacture. Overcharging in a time of disaster or war.]

OPA AND RATIONING LYING   [Re: rationing during WWII]

This form of lying has taken in many people including a host of professed Christians, and may damn many other folk when we are involved in war again. If people do not repent of this form of lying, God will have to enlarge hell to be able to put all of them in the lake of fire. It has been enlarged in the past (Isa. 5:14); I'm sure it can be done again. This lying about rent prices, cost of repairing apartments, and dwelling -houses; lying to obtain gasoline, tires, tubes, cars, bicycles, sugar, and anything that is or was rationed, is just another way for one to lose his soul. Just think of the penalty imposed for this form of lying by Uncle Sam -- "ten years imprisonment or $10,000.00 fine, or both.'' Uncle Sam is about as hard on liars as God is.

One does not have to lie to get what is due him of that which is rationed. He lies to get more than his allotted share, and that is a very unfair thing. It is far from living up to the "Golden Rule'' doing unto others as ye would have them to do unto you. Many traps are set for those who lie these days, and they are catching a host of them. If we had definite statistics on all forms of lying, I am sure that this one would take in or include about as many as any other form except "Santa Claus Lying.'' The devil is taking advantage of almost everything that comes up these days to use it to induce people to lie. In ages to come, this may be referred to as "A Lying Age'' -- a time when almost everyone lied in some form or another. "If the righteous (those who do not lie) SCARCELY be saved (escape the devil's lying traps), where shall the ungodly (the lying church member) and the (lying) sinner appear?'' The Bible also answers this question: "The wicked (habitual liars and sinners) shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God'' (and lie). See Psalms 9:17.

It matters not at what time in the future you may read this book, you should know something of the time when the author wrote it -- during "World War II.''


37. INCOME TAX LYING

"Any time one signs his name to a declaration form for estimated income or to the original final return form used for computing his income and either of them contain, to his certain knowledge, false statements or figures, he has lied, even if someone else filled out the form or declaration for him.. . .

This is where money will cause one to lie and lose his soul if he is not careful -- by lying to save his money or to keep from paying it out for taxes imposed by the federal government. Truly, "The LOVE of money is (turns out to be) the root (cause) of ALL evil'' (including lying). See 1 Tim. 6:10 and Acts 5:1-11. It is so easy for one to let his heart get attached to money to where it controls him instead of his controlling what money he possesses.. . ."


38. IMMIGRATIONAL LYING

"This is that kind of lying one does in order to obtain passage from one country to another when he feels that he does not have sufficient or justifiable reasons to obtain the passport or permission. Some people would lie their way into heaven if they could; but God has a total ban on all liars entering His country (Rev. 21:27).

So lying alone will keep one from making the passage from this earth to God's country (heaven) regardless of all the good deeds they have performed (Matt. 7:21-23 and Rev. 21:27)."

39. TREACHEROUS LYING

"A treacherous liar is one who betrays people of his own state, church or country by lying. One who pretends to be true and loyal when he is just the opposite at heart is a treacherous liar. Such was Judas Iscariot. According to Zeph. 3:4-7 there have been some prophets, priests and preachers guilty of committing this form of lying. To betray one's confidence which he has placed in us by lying actions or statements is nothing less than treacherous lying. We read in flab. 1:13, "Wherefore look thou upon them that DEAL TREACHEROUSLY and hold thy tongue when the wicked devours the man that is more righteous than he?'' Such as this is often the case. A man or woman, who is living immorally and indulging in all kinds of wicked acts and sins, will often lie on the righteous man or sister in a very treacherous manner. Don't worry; God, in due time, will bring such people into judgment to account for their wicked acts and lying (Eccl. 12:14)."

40. THREATENING LYING

"When one makes threats which he does not intend to carry out, he lies in this manner. This lying to scare folk or children into doing things is going to get some into trouble with God if not otherwise. This form of lying is commonly known and referred to as "Blackmail'' when such threats are sent to people, corporations, judges, prosecuting attorneys, etc., through the U. S. mail service. Parents cannot threaten to punish their children in order to get them to do or not do things unless they mean to do what they say; otherwise they lie in this manner. When pastors of churches threaten to resign unless the church folk do certain things, he, too, had better be speaking the truth from his heart or he will lie in this manner and go to hell as the final consequence of such, unless he repents. Employers often make threats to their employees which they have no intention of carrying out, and quite often the employees do the same thing -- they threaten to quit if certain things are not granted or carried out. One is forced to either carry out his threats, apologize or lie. Church and organizational officials need to be careful or they will lie in this manner, almost before they are aware of what they are doing. David said, "I will TAKE HEED to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue'' [Psa. 39:1] and he later prayed: "Set a watch, 0 Lord, before my mouth; keep the doors of my lips.'' [Psa. 141:3] How easy it is for one to sin by lying in this manner."

41.RELATIONSHIP AND ACQUAINTANCE LYING

Those who deny being related to those who are their blood kin, and those who deny knowing those with whom they are acquainted and associated in and out of the church lie in this manner. Pride often prompts this form of lying. Paul must have suffered or experienced something of this nature and was making reference to it when he said: "As unknown, and yet well known'' (2 Cor. 6:9). The Apostle Peter lied IN THIS MANNER the night Jesus was brought before Caiaphas, the high priest, to be tried. See St. John 18:15-18, 24-27.

One could lie in this manner concerning his spiritual relationship, and will unless he is frank to admit it as Paul did. When Paul was being tried before Felix he acknowledged or confessed: "After the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers.'' Paul was not ashamed of his religious affiliation (Rom. 1:16), neither did he allow himself to lie in this manner as some church folk do.

42. CLINIC AND HOSPITAL LYING

We do not mean by this title that all doctors and nurses are liars and that none of them ever tell the truth. The writer is personally acquainted with some doctors who have a reputation of being truthful. But like all other professions, there are some doctors and nurses who either figure it is best for them to lie or they have acquired the lying habit. This is likely the reason the Psalmist informs God's children: "It is better to trust in the Lord (One who never lies and cannot lie) than to put confidence IN man.'' [Psa. 118:8] And if we all realized or believed that "Whoso puts his trust IN the Lord SHALL BE SAFE'' (Prov. 29:25), I am sure there would be more of God's children trusting Him for their healing, health and protection from all contagious diseases instead of running the risk of being lied to and being given something, or be operated on in a manner, that would hasten them on into eternity.

43. BUSINESS LYING

Some people think that they cannot carry on a business successfully without lying, at least occasionally. Paul admonishes us to "Lie NOT one to another'' (Col. 3:9). One who lies in order to sell drives his customers away from his place of business, as a general rule, and sends them elsewhere to purchase what they want. A man does not have to tell many lies to gain a reputation for lying; for his lying will soon find him out, or be generally known. Some business men are so aware of the effect that lying produces upon their business until they will dismiss clerks and employees who lie. They even go so far as to instruct their employees to always tell the truth about what they are selling. One will seldom go broke for telling the truth.

44. FILTHY LUCRE LYING

This form of lying covers more than "Business Lying.'' People, who do not operate any kind of a business establishment, lie for financial gain. The writer knows of a man who lied about the price of some chickens once in order to buy the chickens fifteen cents per head cheaper for his own use. . . . Solomon says, "The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that SEEK death'' (Prov. 21:6).

The Apostle Paul informs us: "The love of money is the root of all evil.'' [1 Tim. 6:10] "The LOVE of money'' has caused many people to lie. In fact, there are only a few people who have not been induced to lie from this source. Without the Holy Ghost to guard the doors of our lips and minds, almost any of us might lie at one time or another for the gain of "filthy lucre.''

45. THE LIE OF SORCERY AND FORTUNE TELLING

According to the Bible all enchanters, magicians, sorcerers, fortune tellers, spiritualist mediums, etc., are liars. "Therefore hearken not ye to your ... diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers for they prophesy a lie unto you'' (Jer. 27:9, 10). These fortune tellers are absolutely nothing but "lie peddlers.'' Many of them go around with fortunes, which have been printed for years, to sell in rotation to those who are foolish enough to buy one of his lies. It is estimated that 80,000 or more of these wizards and magicians are making a living off of file American people now, selling them lies. If they only collected $2,000.00 a year each, it would amount to $160,000,000.00 annually that Americans are paying for this form of lying. I think that statistics show that the amount is much greater than the figures given. We must have a host of "lie customers'' in America as well as a goodly number of liars. . . . See Rev. 21:8 and 1 Tim. 5:22. King Saul ate his last meal or lunch with the old witch of Endor. God's people had better heed His Word and have nothing to do with any of these consulters with familiar spirits, necromancers, wizards, diviners, fortune tellers, sorcerers, magicians, etc. See Deut.18:9-14; Micah 5:12; Gal.5:19-21 and Nah.3:4-6.

46. BRIBERY LYING

This form of lying is committed by those who accept gifts and money to render false reports, false accounts, and make false statements as desired by the one who bribes them. We have a case of this nature recorded in Matt. 28:11-15, which reads as follows: "Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and showed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave LARGE money unto the soldiers (who had stood guard at our Lord's grave), saying, 'Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole Him away while we slept. And if this come to file governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.' So they took the money, and did as they were taught'' -- lied about the whole affair.

Much of this kind of lying is purchased with gifts today from those who want to earn money in an easy way, they think! The writer knows of a certain man who will lie for money in this manner even though it swindles poor people out of their possessions. In one instance, it is reported that he obtained the signature of an old couple, who had an interest in some real estate worth thousands of dollars, for the meager sum of seventy-five dollars. He lied to them and probably told them it would be the seventy-five dollars or nothing; so they took him at his word and signed the document or deed. He probably received several thousand dollars of "bribery money'' for this lying transaction, and felt that he had put over a great deal and made a wonderful financial haul. But he will find out on that "Great Reckoning Day,'' when he stands before the Judge of the whole earth, that it is going to be a terrible deal to doom and damn his soul. Keep this in mind, it never pays to lie (Rev. 21:8).

According to Job 15:34, "The congregations of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the TABERNACLES OF BRIBERY.'' So those who bribe others to lie will suffer . . . the same as those whom they thus entice to lie. Be careful lest you be a partaker of other men's sins. See 1 Tim. 5:22 and Isa. 33:14.

47. CARELESS AND RECKLESS LYING

To be a careless and reckless liar means that one is heedlessly paying no attention to the truthfulness or untruthfulness of his statements and does not consider what the consequences of such lying may be. I think David let a spell of this kind of lying come on him one time, when he was fleeing from Saul and stopped at Nob to get some bread and a sword from the priest, Ahimelech. He told him three lies in one statement or right in succession (1 Sam. 21:2). The King had not sent him on a business errand, neither had he told him to keep his mission a secret from others, and David was journeying alone though he pretended that a number of men were accompanying him.

A reckless and careless liar is more dangerous than a reckless driver of an automobile or a careless pilot of an airplane. David occasioned the death of eighty-five priests and all the inhabitants of Nob by his careless lying. Read 1 Sam. 21:1-10 with 22:7-22 and see for yourself that I am informing you correctly about this incident. The city of Nob has never been rebuilt. It passed into oblivion as a result of David's lying, and many people and cities have gone likewise since then for some person's reckless lying. It is bad enough for one to lie when it only affects himself. It is a terrible and very wicked act when it produces results as in the case just related. No wonder David had to pray for God to create a clean heart in him (Psa. 51:10), set a watch before his mouth, and keep the doors of his lips (Psa. 141:3). A person who lies to get himself out of some predicament generally gets into something worse. See 1 Sam. 21:1,2,10-13. The best way out is to tell the truth and do some repenting, too. See Prov. 28:13 and I John 1:9,7. A person who allows himself to talk too freely will sooner or later be guilty of lying, and possibly in this manner (Prov. 10:19 and EccI. 5:1,2).

If you ever took notice, you have seen that a wreck seldom, if ever, stops a reckless driver from driving recklessly. He may soon have another wreck. The same is true with this kind of liars. David went right on after lying to Ahimelech, and played the insanity role before Achish, king of Gath, when he discovered they were thinking of "finishing him off'' while they had him in their hands -- just another spell of lying. As one writer has said, "One lie leads to another, we have to tell the SECOND to hide the first.'' David, though a man after God's own heart, often found himself in the predicament of Rom. 7:15-23. You and I should live in the experience of Rom. 8:1,2-4, then, and only then, or thereafter would we be kept from lying or be empowered to always tell the truth.

48. SECTARIAN LYING

Much of this kind of lying goes on today. One church lies concerning the other, and this denomination lies on that one, etc. All of this kind of lying is prompted by that sectarian spirit which possesses so many ministers and laymen of various denominations and organizations. . . . As the old saying goes, "If we would keep things swept clean around our own doors, we would be kept busy at home most of the time,'' and would not be meddling with the other man's affairs so much.

49. POLITICAL AND DIPLOMATIC LYING

Don't run for an office or get into politics if you cannot take lying. Political and diplomatic scheming calls for much lying. Some church leaders and officials play politics when conducting a church election, and the devil gets most of them to lying before it is over. God gets out of church business and elections when His people start this "diplomatic lying.'' Some say, "But you have to use a little diplomacy to put things over.'' Possibly so, if they are to be put over man's way, or as he desires things to go; but it is not needed when we go God's way and follow the leadings of the Holy Ghost. Have we forgotten the promises of God along this line? Read Prov. 3:5,6; Psa. 37:5,23; Jer. 10:23; John 16:13; Rom. 8:14; Jam. 4:3 and see if God does not promise to lead us in all things pertaining to the work of the Lord. See also Acts 9 :10-19; 1:19-23; 13:1A and 16:6-11.

When church matters are carried out man's way, they are seldom what God would have, and we would do well to remember God's exhortation along this line as found in Isaiah 55:8,9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, SAYS THE LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.'' The poor lost world is to be pitied and shown sympathy for the way they carry on things; but the way some of God's (supposed-to-be) leading children do business for Him is a reproach to His Name and church. The very idea OF LYING to put things over for God! God had rather we just leave His business undone than to mess it up with a lot of lying. Business, such as general elections, local church elections, and of any other nature, that is put over by lying, will never accomplish anything worthwhile. God is determined that His church shall be established by truth and nothing but the truth. All of us will do well to keep this in mind. We should all know that "we can do nothing against the truth'' (2 Cor. 13:8). This political and diplomatic lying has about ruined some churches and organizations, if not all of them, and most all the nations and governments of this sin cursed world. . . . .(Rev. 21:8, 27).

50. PROPAGANDA LYING

This kind of lying is done mostly in time of war, both among the nations and our various churches and organizations. When we go to war naturally or religiously, this propaganda lying always begins. The devil has someone on the job to start it and then hosts of dupes to pass it on to others.

There are several purposes for this propaganda lying; but, after all, the aims sought for never materialize, if you will take note or check after it, whether it is done by national patriots or church officials and lay-members. Propaganda lying is done to stir up hatred against the opposing armies or churches and organizations; also to build morale and increase loyalty to the church or nation with which one is associated. It is also shifted to the enemy forces and territory by radio, news leaflets dropped from the air, by traitors, etc., to make them suspicious of one another and afraid to fight or oppose their national or religious enemy; also to divide and weaken them. Can God approve of all this ungodly work and devilish lying being carried on in His church? A thousand times no! We must either keep our tongues from speaking guile and deceit or get out of God's church -- rather be put out (Ex. 32:33 and Psa. 69:27,28). We cannot build anything for God that will stand if it is built upon a faulty foundation of hay, wood, stubble, lying, deceit, etc. So "Let EVERY man TAKE HEED how he builds thereupon.'' -- The Apostle Paul. . . .

51. STRATEGIC LYING

Strategic lying is that lying which is done concerning the SUPPOSED-TO-BE size, movement, location, casualty list, etc., of the Army, Navy, and Air Forces. There has been much of this form of lying done during the present war (World War II), and possibly will continue as long as we have wars. If England had transferred as many troops, equipment and supplies to Singapore as she reported through the press and over the radio, before this base was taken by the [Japanese], the [Japanese] never would have been able to take it. So most of her defense there proved to be nothing but lies, and she lost a valuable base and what men she had stationed there, too. After all, there was nothing gained by all that lying -- she lost. We will do the same thing if we lie in this manner or any other way. We will lose here, and then lose our soul in the end. Consider this too: men who lie for churches, nations, business firms, lodges, labor unions, etc., are going to hell, though they were the middle man or just passed the lie. Remember, all men and Christians are warned by Paul NOT to "be partaker of OTHER men's sins: KEEP yourself PURE'' -- don't lie for anyone (1 Tim.5:22).

52. NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LYING

This form of lying played its part in plunging the whole world into war this last time. As for lying, this form did play the major part and PRIDE took the other. "Pride of Race'' and "International Lying'' are the two principal causes of this war, and the whole world knows it. These are facts which cannot be denied. There may have been many other minor causes: but no principal ones in comparison to these two.

There has been so much national and international lying done until peace treaties are not worth the paper they are written on. England, France, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and the whole world, trusted that Hitler only wanted what he first asked for from the two last named nations; but to their sorrow, and NOT "very much to their surprise,'' they soon found out that he was lying. He gained so much apparently, to begin with, by his lying until it seems that he thought that he might take the whole world by the same method. Thank God, his lying did not win for him what he hoped to gain. He lost all he had to begin with and all he gained momentarily, by his lying, and has brought his people to servitude and national disgrace. The whole world needs to learn by this example that it does not pay to lie. But this lesson is to be learned the hard way -- by experience, and it is doubtful if any nations will take heed and only a very few individuals, to the extent that they will stop their lying.

The anti-Christ is due to come into power by lying, not only in this manner, but in every other manner or form conceivable, known or unknown. "And then shall that Wicked be revealed ... Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with ALL power and signs and (All) LYING wonders'' (2 Thes. 2:8,9). The devil has begun to supply many nations with lying leaders and dictators. His next move will be to deceive and rule the whole world by a lying genius, the Antichrist. People generally fall for what they are accustomed to, and they are receiving ample training along this line. One faces liars and lying almost every way he turns today. The devil started out by deceiving man by lying and he is going to finish the same way. I suppose that he has deceived and damned more souls in this manner than in all other ways and means combined. In fact, there is some form of lying employed by the devil and his subjects in everything they do and undertake. What else could we expect of a spirit or being, and of those influenced and controlled by him, in which there is NO truth -- nothing but lies and a lying spirit.

. . . See John 14:16, 17; 15:26 and 16:7-13.

53. PULPIT LYING

All ministers need to watch and see that everything they say over the sacred desk is truth. This saying, "I will be through in just a minute,'' and then preach on for a half an hour is nothing but lying, whether intentional or unintentional. Don't say "We will just read one more Scripture and then close,'' unless you mean to do that. Other similar statements run like this: "I will not hold you long,'' and preach two hours; "Stand and we will be dismissed'' and keep the audience standing fifteen or twenty minutes before the benediction is pronounced. This is some more of that "Careless Lying'' and will soon lead to "Reckless Lying.'' Ministers who lie in this manner should obey Daniel's instructions to Nebuchadnezzar and "BREAK off thy (their lying) sins by righteousness telling the truth. How can we expect our congregations to be truthful if we practice lying before them and excuse ourselves for doing so. Remember: "Like priests like people.'' . . .

54. CAMOUFLAGED LYING

This form of lying might be employed and practiced in several ways. Quite often people lie to cover or hide (camouflage) their sins, shortcomings, evil dispositions, evil intentions, etc. Solomon says, "He that hides (camouflages) hatred with lying lips ... is a fool,'' and a big one at that; for such is sure to land one in hell (Rev. 21:8), if not repented of (Luke 13:5). In this sense lying is used as the camouflage materials, according to Isaiah 28:15,17: "We have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we HID ourselves and the hail (of God's judgment) shall sweep away the refuge (camouflage) of lies, and the waters shall overflow the HIDING PLACE'' -- which they camouflaged with lies.

Quite often people endeavor to camouflage their lying so it will not be detected or discovered. The best camouflage for a lie is all the truth that can be associated with the lie. The writer once discovered a lie thus camouflaged by a man who was supposedly begging his way home. He claimed to be hungry and broke when such was not true. He gave his correct age, name, home address, etc., for I checked his registration card to see. Then after helping him I found that another preacher had just given him several dollars. He had his lie well camouflaged with statements that were one hundred per cent truth. This is the manner of camouflaging that is often and generally employed by false prophets and those preachers whom Satan has out to deceive those who would be saved, or who have an aim and desire to be saved. They preach a lot of Scriptural truth, but present a false plan for one's salvation. A gospel that will save one's soul must be the WHOLE truth and nothing but the truth, or thus says the Word of God.

Before anyone accepts a plan for the salvation of his soul, he should be sure it is absolutely Scriptural and that it contains every requirement of God's Word. Partial obedience or adherence to the gospel of Jesus Christ assures no one of eternal life (Matt. 5:25,26). The importance of one's eternal destiny is too serious to trifle with or be careless and indifferent about. Once one has crossed over the "Great Divide'' he cannot correct his mistakes or complete his obedience to the gospel. His eternal destiny will be determined by how he lived and obeyed God while on this earth. See Jn. 5:28,29; Gal. 6:7,8; Heb. 9:27 and 10:26-29. . . .

55. DOCTRINAL LYING

Doctrinal lying is a terrible thing for anyone to contemplate doing; but, nevertheless, much of it is being done right over the sacred desk, and elsewhere, pertaining to the plan of salvation, holy living, eternal punishment, etc. "I have not sent them, says the Lord, yet they prophesy A LIE in MY NAME'' (Jer. 27:15). Then we read in 1 Timothy 4:1-3, "Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that' in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and DOCTRINES OF DEVILS; speaking LIES in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats.'' Thank God, all ministers and professed Christians are not liars; but those who preach and teach things which they know are contrary to the teachings of the Holy Scriptures are "doctrinal liars.''

There are some rules laid down in the Scriptures to govern and regulate the teaching of doctrines which, if we would always heed and follow, we would never be guilty of telling or preaching "doctrinal lies.'' The first one is that no doctrine can be established upon any one, single scripture. Jesus said, "In the mouth of TWO or THREE witnesses every word may be established'' (Matt. 18:16). Then we should never teach and preach everything we believe, while we need to believe all we preach. "How is this,'' you say? One can believe things which are not scriptural. Jesus had this to say about what He taught and testified: "Verily, verily (truly, truly), I say unto thee, 'We speak that we DO KNOW (not merely what we believe and think is right), and testify that we HAVE SEEN''' (John 3:11). Be sure you are right before you preach doctrine, as it generally pertains to salvation directly or indirectly and has to do with the eternal destiny of the souls of men and women.

56. EVANGELISTIC AND PASTORAL LYING

This form of lying could have been dealt with under "Promissory Lying,'' and was referred to briefly and slightly, if you noticed it; but we prefer singling it out now so we can shoot straight at it. Under this paragraph heading, we want to deal definitely with this lying that is done so commonly by quite a few ministers of both of these classes, in reference to their dealings with each other and the churches they serve, and to whom they minister.

Some evangelists never seem to take the second thought about what they promise some pastor or church concerning conducting them a campaign. They receive the request, it is immediately accepted, and they often agree to a certain date for the meeting but never appear on the scene. It costs something to prepare for a meeting as well as it costs something to get to the place. Pastors find that a few disappointments of this nature cause their entire congregations to have no interest in praying for meetings in advance -- which is very essential if profitable results are to be derived.
. . .

62. MISDEMEANOR AND FELONY LYING

Sin of any nature and of every kind seems to breed lying. If you understand correctly, misdemeanor offenses refer to violations of the law which are punishable by fines, confinement in jail, etc., while felony offenses refer to those subject to capital punishment. So, whether the offense. is small or great, we generally find that the offender will lie concerning his guilt and conduct connected therewith. This is what makes it rather hard on an innocent and truthful man when he is suspected in some way of being connected with crime. The law-enforcing officers have learned not to accept any statement as truth until it can be verified in some manner. Therefore, they accuse and disbelieve the innocent man as much as they do the lying offender, until they find him to be truthful and innocent. The innocent and truthful man cannot understand why he is so disbelieved in such cases, due to the fact that he does not understand or take into consideration the officers' viewpoint or experience in dealing with offenders. He must thus deal with all suspects in order to discover the guilty. The innocent and truthful man will generally have enough evidence to clear himself, and it pays an innocent man to be truthful in such circumstances; for any time an officer detects a man is lying, he becomes more suspicious of his guilt than before. Therefore we can see that it always pays one to he truthful. The general experience of officers, dealing with those guilty of misdemeanor and felony offenses, is that they find that the offenders generally lie concerning things connected with the case if not about everything questioned.

. . .

63. SLANDEROUS LYING

Slanderous lying may be defined as that lying which is done to defame someone or to injure by maliciously uttering a false report. while one may tell the truth and be guilty of "speaking evil'' of another, he who slanders never tells the truth -- always lies. Ill-will, hatred and malice are always the instigators of slander. Jealously may sometimes be involved. Solomon says, "He that utters a slander, is a FOOL,'' and this is certainly seen to be true when considered in the light of Rev. 21:8,27 and Psalms 101:5: "Whoso privily slanders his neighbor, him will I cut off.''

The giving out of these false reports about one's conduct and change of attitude or belief concerning various fundamental doctrines of the New Testament, in order to defame and strip him of his prestige with the people With whom he is acquainted, is about one of the worst ads of slander that can he referred to. Anything to defame a person, even if it calls for lying, is generally employed by those whose hearts are filled with hatred. "You sit and speak against YOUR BROTHER; YOU SLANDER your own mother's son. These things have you done, and I (the Lord speaking) kept silence; you thought that I was altogether such an one as yourself: but I will REPROVE you, and set them in order before your eyes. Now consider this, you that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver'' (Psa. 50:2022).

Slander is one of those debased sins. It debases those who utter it more than it does those against whom it is uttered. Slander generally becomes a boomerang and returns to the one who utters it, possibly in a different form or manner; but, nevertheless, slander is uttered by lying lips. There is an inevitable law of the Holy Scriptures which assures one of reaping what he sows (Gal. 6:7). So he who slanders another is sure to be slandered before he goes very far down the lane of time. Then there follows that reaping beyond the "great divide'' that one needs to stay mindful of. It is also certain to follow. See St. John 5:28,29; Ecc. 12:13,14 and 2Cor. 5:10.

64. PERJURY LYING

Perjury lying is defined, in our dictionaries, as being a "willful assertion of a fact, made under oath, with knowledge that such (an) assertion is false'' or a lie. . . .

65. FALSE ACCUSATIONS

This accusing people of things they are not guilty of doing is definitely another form of lying. One cannot afford to accuse people of doing something wrong just because they suspicion (imagine) they might be guilty or because of some of this "lying gossip'' that has gotten around to their ears. Such as this has done much harm in and out of the church, and has even caused some people to lose their lives. It is very easy to get caught in this "lying trap.'' Church folk and preachers are just as much subjected or exposed to this form of lying as anyone else. Therefore, they need to "BE VIGILANT (keenly watchful and prayerful) ; because ... (their) adversary the devil ... (is) seeking whom he may devour'' - by getting them to FALSELY ACCUSE someone. See 1 Peter 5:8 with Rev. 12:10-12.

This material was transcribed from a booklet published in 1946 by Elder B. E. Echols.
ORIGINAL COPYRIGHT 1946, 1963 By Elder B.E. Echols
Now released to public domain by the family of the Late Elder B.E. Echols.
http://www.apostolic.net/lying.htm

Lying by Inappropriate arguments:

"A well-defined group of fallacious arguments may be used to promote or oppose new projects. They may include: fallacies of logic or syntax; arguments from authority; posing of an incorrect question; suppression of relevant information; utilization of ambiguous terms; omission of a relevant concomitant variable; use of biased samples; use of samples which are statistically too small to give meaningful results; misleading use of graphs and pictures; and dependence on erroneous presentations of statistical data. Such methods of argument may over-simplify, over-complicate, ignore the opposing position, accept the authoritative position too readily, accept the position because it is detailed in print, place excessive reliance upon some formal system or formula or reject such a system too readily."
. . .
"Conclusions may state a truth despite faulty argumentation."

Fallacious arguments
Spurious arguments
Cheap argument
Bad arguments
Improper forms of debate
Fatuous reasoning
Flaky arguments
Polarizing rhetoric
Obfuscatory arguments
Misuse of plausible arguments to conceal nefarious benefits
Oversimplification
Defective reasoning
Terminological ambiguities
Misconceived moral equivalence
Overreliance on proximate explanations
Failure to distinguish between opinion and fact
Semantic confusion
Fabricated quotations
Incorrect information
Suppression of information
Manipulation of debates
Inappropriate assumptions
Withholding of information
Rhetorical inflation in meetings
Uncritical acceptance of authority
Dependence on intellectual fashions
Misrepresentation of historical persons
Inconclusiveness of scientific and medical tests

http://www.uia.org/index.html, Mar. 2002
© Union of International Associations 1997 - 2000

Lying to promote conspiracy theories:

Alarmism
Scaremongering
Propaganda Techniques Related to Environmental Scares
Doom-mongering
False alarms
"Absence of evidence" used as proof
Fabrication of quotes
Fabrication of testimony by fictional experts
Selective editing of older materials to falsify timeliness
Withholding information that would allow verification

 

Lying by Denial of evidence:

Suppression of evidence

Conflicting claims of experts in such recent cases as the tobacco/smoking controversy, the environmental depredations of acid rain, the health effects of long-term exposure to low-level radiation, the levels of safety of nuclear reactors, the health hazards of food additives and of habitual levels of consumption of specific foodstuffs, have all created a situation in which political, scientific and corporate groups consider it legitimate to deny the existence of any significant evidence in each case.

Destruction of scientific records
Unproven relationships among problems
Procrastination of science in the face of the unexplained
False evidence
Falsification of public records
Non-verifiability
Ignoring evidence
Intellectual arrogance
Fragmentation of evidence
Suppression of information
Illegally obtained evidence
Tampering with official documents

http://www.uia.org/index.html, Mar. 2002
© Union of International Associations 1997 - 2000

Historical lying:

"History is a set of lies agreed upon." --Napoleon Bonaparte

"A lie told often enough becomes truth." --Vladimir Ulyanov Lenin

Historical revisionism

Historical misrepresentation
Distorted historical significance
Historical cover-up
Rewriting history
Historical revisionism
Distortion of historical events
Distortion of history
Suppression of historical information
Falsification of government historical records
Promulgation of historical myths

"The process of rewriting extremely horrible historical episodes so that those responsible are exonerated is historical revisionism. Simply denying the reality of the event can easily be refuted. The most effective means of historical revisionism is to relativize the evil by pointing out that those responsible are no more evil than anyone else, or the victims of the event are partially responsible.

While "a nation is a community of shared remembering and shared forgetting", some nations have too much history and some too little. The Balkans, for example, has too much history which blurs the frontier between the present and the past - to be precise, too much bad, distorted history. Selective remembering and forgetting leads to tradition in the worst sense. The solution, however, is not no history but more better history - factual, accurate and multifaceted, a history which acknowledges its own crimes as well as those of others, without being a martyrology - a way of understanding the perspective of the other side.

A distinction is required between justice and truth in dealing with recent history. Justice is essential following crimes against humanity, such as in the Balkans and in Rwanda. And justice is better dealt with by an international tribunal than internally. By contrast, if there is to be a cathartic confrontation with the past, it must be from inside the country. A good example of that is the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa. Only by confronting the truth can we re-establish that all-important line between the past and the future.

For many years there have been a host of small groups in the USA, in Canada, in Europe and elsewhere that deny the reality of the Holocaust and endeavour to get this perspective accepted by the mainstream of historical scholarship. Other examples include the genocide of the Herero people in southern Africa, and the collaboration between industrialists of the USA and the Nazi regime. History textbooks in Japan do not refer to Japanese aggression during World War II. Photos claiming to be of Mao's Long March, the storming of the Winter Palace in 1917 and the Viet Minh victory at Dien Bien Phu were taken of staged events, under better conditions. Movie makers are becoming the West's most powerful historians, but not necessarily the most careful. Films like "Mississippi Burning", "Gandhi", "Killing Fields", "Last Emperor" and "Cry Freedom" may be fine or even excellent films, but they are not historically accurate even though they are often thought as such.

In 1990 a committee of historians in the USA accused the government of falsifying the historical record by censoring its publications of official USA diplomatic documents, despite the openness shown by the USSR concerning its own history. The incident concerns the role of US intelligence in post-war foreign policy and the manner in which the published editions of diplomatic archives are sanitized to exclude almost all references to the Central Intelligence Agency, and specifically with the role of the CIA in preparing the coup which brought the Shah of Iran to power and which eliminated the liberal-left Arbenz government in Guatemala. Unmistakeable evidence has been found of dramatic and devastating changes in editorial policies and processes which govern the publication of diplomatic history over past decades.

A political system that allows a single source of information about events is, at least, presenting history from a single perspective and, at worst, manipulating history to its benefit. Efforts to promote the misleading impression of government non-involvement in specific historic events constitute a gross misrepresentation of the historical record, sufficient to deserve the label of fraud. Although it has long been accepted by historians that some editing of government archival material is necessary to protect intelligence sources and methods, this censorship process has become increasingly blatant to the point of bringing the integrity of the entire historical record into question.

Counter-claim: Those who claim that history is being revised have their own equally biased and distorted view of events. And while these biases may be popular, they, nevertheless, are interpretations based on an ideology that has narrow perspectives."

Historical lying involves:

Misrepresentation
Institutional lying
Unethical practice in historical disciplines
Discriminatory myths
Denial of the Holocaust
Misrepresentation of historical persons
Fabricated quotations
Anachronism
Historical naivety
Historical forgery
Incorrect information
International tension
Historical humiliation
Limited historical method
Unpardonable historical events
Tampering with official documents
Biased and inaccurate history textbooks
Failure to profit from patterns of history
Politically provocative geographical names
Antisemitism
Literary forgery
Moral pretension
Deception by government
Glorification of the past
Classified public information
Unethical commercial practices
Lack of access to public archives
Silence about historical situations
Production serving false consumption needs
Commemoration of dishonourable historical events

http://www.uia.org/index.html, Mar. 2002
© Union of International Associations 1997 - 2000

Other examples include:

The difference in accounts of every war as told by opposing sides.
The whitewashing or villifying of ethnic groups, public figures and national leaders long after the facts.
Revising textbooks accounts of history to achieve "political correctness" or to support socio/political agendas.

Professional lying:

Lies protecting peers
Deceit to maintain client confidentiality
Deceptive professional practices

"A lie is the simplest way to protect a secret, though some have worked out subtle forms of evasion in answering unauthorized questions regarding a professional secret, such as "I know nothing about it" (with the mental reservation "to communicate to others"). The line between appropriate and inappropriate requests for information may shift from one society to another and be revised over time; but wherever the line is drawn, those charged with secrets have to decide how best to protect them. The same loyalty also shields colleagues. Politicians, for example, or professionals may be reluctant to divulge the incompetence or dishonesty of their fellows. The problem arises when loyalty or professional ethics in the interests of peers and clients overrides law and morality itself.

A doctor may fail to disclose a pilot's unstable heart condition that may lose him his job.

Counter-claim 1. To keep silent regarding a patient's confidences is to honour one of the oldest obligations in medicine. Lawyers do the same for their clients as do priests in hearing confessions.

2. The relationship between a lawyer and his client is one of the intimate relation. You would lie for your wife. You would lie for your child. There are others with whom you are intimate enough, close enough, to lie for them when you would not lie for yourself. At what point do you stop lying for them ?

http://www.uia.org/index.html, Mar. 2002
© Union of International Associations 1997 - 2000

It's about choices:

To be successful in a world that ignores or reasons around God's laws, it seems as though one must accept the world's "situation ethics" which means lying regularly. But why is that?

Our lives are made up of various elements including people, things, locations, activities, political climate, social climate, environmental climate, economic climate, etc. For every moment of time in which we find ourselves facing a combination of these elements, there was a previous series of choices which we made. There are also variables of time and chance, but for the most part, our lives are the result of our own choices. For almost every situation in which we feel that lying is a necessary choice, if we were to back up far enough, we could find an alternate choice which could have prevented the present situation. Often, it was a previous choice in which we lied.

God is fully aware of the evil in the world. He does not offer us eternal life as an impossible goal.
For most people, "success" is measured in terms of wealth, fame and power. God measures it differently. Christ declared his "success" when he said, "I have overcome the world". In the same statement he acknowledged that it isn't always easy.

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33).

"He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son." (Rev. 21:7).

To God, success includes overcoming the sin of lying and enduring any "tribulation" which may result.

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