by 
AgnusDei
ANSWERS: 26
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"White lies" if they cannot hurt anyone I think are permissible as long as it doesn't become a habit. Lies that DO hurt others directly or indirectly I feel are wrong, and there are better ways to handle it. As for "excusable", I am sure the person lying has an excuse for their lies. But the excuses could be lies also ;)
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They're always exceptions...no matter what
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Yes. I could lie to save someone's life.
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Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.
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It is my feeling that lies are terrible and should not be told. Also one is not obligated to divulge truthful information to those not entitled to it. Such was the case of Rahab of Jericho. In time a severe famine compelled Abraham to move temporarily to Egypt, and to protect his life, he represented Sarah as his sister. It was very possible that if he was truthful, he could have been killed off so another could take his beautiful wife.
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I believe so. Imagine there is a dying man. On his deathbed he asks his son if he will take over the family business. The son knows this would allow him to die a happy man, so even though he has no intention whatsoever of doing so, he says yes. The man dies happily and the son, knowing he made his father's last few moments weren't in bitterness, regret or resentment, is also happy. In a sad way obviously, I mean he just lost his dad. You know what I mean. I beleive it was the German philosopher Kant who said lies, even little ones were inexcusable. I think that if you lie to protect others around you, and will have no foreseeable negative consequences (or the benfits outweigh the drawbacks) then yes, it is acceptable.
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Depending on the situation, YES.
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Of course. A lie can save lives.
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sometimes if it was for a good reason
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Of course. Example from World War II: "No sir, No Jews in my basement."
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It shouldn't be, but it is. We always lie, Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, No you don't look fat in that, No that perm doesn't look bad. I think it depends on your intentions.
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It's ok to lie if your intention is positive and selfless, and it is the best alternative.
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Yes, entirely. In fact, this entire answer is just one big white lie.
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white lies and having an intention to not hurt someone can be an excuse but sometimes no matter how good your reason are to say lies it can eventually hurt someone who can't pick or accept your point why you lied... for some lies is lies wether you did it for a good purpose or not..
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I believe it is always OK to lie if the good things that happen from the lie outweigh the bad things that it will cause.
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I lie to children, so they can learn for themselves and not think my decisions in life are right or "cool".
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Yea. I had to lie to make it thru a weekend once after being cornered by an evengelistic recruiter! I had no way home, and was stuck with a bunch of zealots/finatics for the weekend. So I said whatever he/they wanted me to say (bitterly), made it thru the weekend and home, then never went back. What they did was wrong. What I did was survival.
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I think so. Only when it comes to peoples food. Like when you go to someone's house for dinner, you should be respectful to what they put on your plate even though you may not like some of it. If they say, "was everything ok", yes it was; thank you.
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Yes, sometimes it is necessary. An example: My grandfather was very ill, recovering from a heart operation. While in bed he asked my uncle, one of his sons about her three daughters. He was able to keep a straight face and told him that they were OK. We were able to get him out of the room while changing the subject, my grandfather never noticed. The truth was that the youngest one, a five years old, was killed by a car in front of her house a few days before. That was extremely excusable. Sometimes we have to lie.
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when ur wife says does this make look fat
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I don't know if it is ever acceptable but we do it anyway. One case I think is to kids when they ask a personal question and we fib a bit, maybe tell them we don't know.
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I think that truth is the most liberating force in the universe. However, there are times when a "yes" or "no" answer will obscure the truth because the real answer is deeper and the question is designed to mislead. In that case, one must decide what is the most truthful way to answer and that might be perceived by some as a lie. It is only such if the questioner is unwilling to listen to the whole answer.
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I think it is ok to lie to your kids. Like: Katie2 and I were talking about taking pacifiers away from kids. Well she told her daughter the fairy came a took it away. I think lies like that are acceptable.
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To not hurt feelings. BUT, only in an innocent way like a hairstyle or clothes. Not in a way that may harm a person.
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There certainly are instances where it is acceptable to lie. I work a lot with kids and some of the things they ask me I know their parents would prefer that they give the answers to. For instance, a child once asked me what the word "gay" meant. I felt uncomfortable about telling him because I thought that was something his parents would want to answer, so I told him I didn't know. I've also had kids ask me where babies come from, or why my co-worker (who is a Jehovah's Witness) wasn't singing Happy Birthday to her. I only tell white lies to children when I feel it is a topic that their parents wouldn't want me to answer for them.
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I felt it was excusable to lie when I was starting a new life in a new town after splitting from an ex and she was hell bent on finding out information and then trying to ruin my new life . I created many "false trails" so she would have had no idea of the truth !
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