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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
411
When Is a Lie Not a Lie?
By BARTLETT L. H E S S * s Chicago, Illinois
N OT LONG AGO, a woman who is the head resident of a church- sponsored neighborhood house relief budgets recently decreased, the people she knew were being reduced to skeletons. In order that these poor folk might secure even the barest necessities, it was necessary either that she lie for them or that they lie for themselves. For example, a re lief client when evicted can never find another place unless he conceals his fi nancial status. If he gives his name to the prospective landlord, the latter will check up at the relief station, and, find ing the renter’s name on the list, will refuse to let the property. This he does to protect himself, for he knows that a family cannot eat and also pay rent on the Government allowance. What will the desperate renter do? He will give a false name, perhaps. Or he might misrepresent other facts, such as concealing income. What the World Says Rather than train the applicant to lie for himself, the head. resident of this neighborhood house thought it was bet ter for her to lie for him. Thus the social worker says a lie is not a lie when it is for humanitarian purposes. If a lie will facilitate the securing of daily bread for the hungry, then a Christian conscience should be stretched to permit its use, argues the social worker. “If we wait,” the advocate of the humanitarian lie argues, “these peo ple will starve. ~This lie will secure a meager return for the present emer gency.” But the matter cannot be treated thus conveniently as merely a “humanitarian lie.” The whole issue between truth and falsehood is opened up by this social worker’s argument. Besides the human itarian lie, the world says that there are other lies that are justifiable. One is the business lie. The worldly business man or woman will say that there are occasions in the office and in the factory when a lie is not a lie be cause it is necessary for business rea sons. What is a Christian going to do when he is asked to represent a product or a price in the wrong light? Recently a young man in my parish was consider ing the surrender of his life to Christ. The big obstacle in his way was the definite shutting out of his life of pat terns of conduct and modes of action which in some circles are considered v Pastor , Trinity Presbyterian Church.
wedge for habitual lying. It negates honesty of life and speech, thé conversa tion and walk which are the outflowing of the life in harmony with God. It de velops a fundamental insincerity of life, a recognized and accepted gap between ideals and conditions. To say that a lie for humanitarian purposes is not a lie eats like a canker into the life. The fact that the lié for humanity’s sake can be advocated by social work ers, including those who are ichurch sponsored, reveals how far much work of this type has departed from Chris tianity itself. The emphasis has become physical and social, and the attainment of these objectives has taken primary’ place without regard to whether or not the procedures proposed square with the Christian faith. Jesus Christ said that every act "of service, even the “cup of water,” must be in His name, or it will fail of its reward. As Christ used them, healing and feeding were avenues to bringing the individual into fellow ship with God. Today, all too often, they have become the end as well as the means. The business lie of the worldly busi ness person may appear to save a job at the time. Yet it undermines integrity and blurs moral values. The individual becomes the victim 'of the currents and tides in which he finds himself. In giv ing up the truth in this situation and that, he becomes blinded to the truth itself. When men are looking for some one they can trust fully, they pass the liar by. Thus the one who says that a business lie is not a lie loses his own sense of values, his grasp of the truth, and possibly that very business success for which he is sacrificing honesty. As for the agreeable folk who say that a lie is not a lie when courtesy is involved, they, too, are paying too high a price. They lose their sense of dis crimination. Instead Of looking for that which they can commend, they vçover the situation with a blanket lie. In so doing, they become cheap and insin cere, and their judgment is not sought. The one who dispenses favorable com ment only when he can do so honestly, is sought for his opinion. The person who lies for expediency soon finds that one lie calls for another, and he involves himself in a network of lies and is his own betrayer. The lie is always a temporary expedient which involves the sacrifice of the future for some supposed present gain. It breeds
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necessary to success. 1 assured him that, while I did not face the same temptations, 1 knew many Christians who did. I urged him to do what they had done: to surrender to Christ not only his life but his business career as well, and the Lord would take care of both. This he did, and God, who cannot lie, is faithful to those who really .trust Him. Another type of lie is the courtesy lie. Ordinary, affable people are justi fied by the world when they lie tg be courteous. A lie is not a lie, they say, when courtesy is involved. A new hat or new dress is privately considered “ terrible,” but enthusiastically/declared to be “most attractive.” Perhaps the evening has been quite a bore, but the guest gushes with a too bright smile, “We had a wonderful time.” A friend has sung a solo which is not up to her standard, but something must be said, and frequently it is insincere and un true. The courtesy lie takes many forms, and the world says it is not a lie when it saves the feelings of others. Another type of lie much used in the world and ordinarily justified because it is trivial is the lie for expediency. A person, is in a temporary emergency, and the way to get out of it without causing a “scene” is to lie. A friend has asked one to convey a message to another. The next time they meet, the question is asked, “Did you tell him?” The easiest thing to do is to say, “Yes,” and hasten to do it as soon as possible. What Experience Proves Even in practical experience, however, does the lie actually help? All agree that the conditions which make it pos sible for people to be hungry in this country should be attacked vigorously. But is the lie the way to attafk them? The humanitarian lie of the social work er provides only temporary help for the p oor.g it does not meet the situation nor dial with the causes nor make pos sible a better solution in the future. Furthermore, it becomes an entering
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