Vyenkata Bhatta dasa, associate director of communications, Iskcon

suchandra · March 2, 2006

Vyenkata Bhatta dasa: "My faith comforts me that however heinous the lie, however traumatic the damage in its wake, the power of God's love is infinitely greater."

This statement by Vyenkata Bhatta prabhu was made at 'Theologians discuss what lying means to society', today. But what about society falls prey to lie and is carried away? Isnt it up to saintly person to speak the truth and NOT foist it all on Krishna's arrangement?

Thursday, March 2, 2006

Theologians discuss what lying means to society

By MAKEBA SCOTT HUNTER

HERALD NEWS

Recently, former Oprah book club darling James Frey, got busted for lying in his best-selling memoir "A Million Little Pieces." Viewers squirmed as they watched the queen of all media take down the reformed and until then redeemed author with quips like "It's not an idea, James, that's a lie" and "Why would you lie?"

Vice President Cheney recently came under fire for his delay in admitting the truth about a weekend hunting accident. Once he offered his mea culpa, however, the president said he was satisfied.

Is lying becoming the norm in our society? Is it ever OK to lie? And if you say you're sorry is all forgiven?

We asked a roundtable of local clerics of differing religious backgrounds to address this topic for this month's entry in our Questions of Faith series.

It would be misleading to assert that lying is a new phenomenon in our culture. Lying has always been the norm in our society and every society that has preceded ours. It is part of the human's fallen nature, which can be traced back to the Garden of Eden, to lie and deceive. In fact, the book of Jeremiah reads, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: Who can know it?" It was such an issue even at the foundation of society that God had Moses to pen as part of the Ten Commandments "not to testify falsely against one's neighbor." As we have seen the deterioration of wholesome values in our contemporary society, "little white lies" have become a way of life.

For those who to and pledge their allegiance to the Holy Bible, the word of the Lord is clear throughout the Old and New Testaments: God abhors lying. Even though there are examples of men and women of the Bible who lied for good causes (namely Rahab and Elisha), the scripture never justifies or excuses such lies.

In forgiveness, there is hope for the living to recover from the guilt, shame, pain, hurt and relational damage brought about through lies. Forgiveness is the beginning of the healing process for the victim and offender. Just because we forgive does not mean we have to automatically trust until the one who has offended proves worthy of our trust. In the meantime, we pray every man, woman, boy and girl would commit their conscience to the living God to be purged and renewed in the likeness of the ultimate role model, Jesus Christ.

-- Pastor Carolyn McCombs, Open Door Ministries, Paterson

I pick up my morning newspaper and am bombarded with stories about people – celebrities, politicians or just regular people like me – who have chosen to hide or distort the truth to achieve their ends. Their actions have come to surprise me less with each instance. What astounds me, however, is the fact that as a society, we seem so uncomfortably comfortable with the idea that people will lie.

To suggest that there is absolute and objective truth, and worse yet that everybody ought to adhere to it, is to risk social suicide. I am informed by my faith, however, that we all should be truthful – not merely because it is embarrassing when we fail to do so and are caught, or because it helps keep society functioning in utilitarian order, but because in being truthful we embrace our identity as servants of God. With every lie we tell or every cheating move we employ, we erect barriers of illusion between ourselves and the reality of our eternal existence. In my tradition, we recite a prayer to this effect: "Satyam param dhimahi,Let us make the Supreme Lord, who is the Absolute Truth, our object of meditation."

Is it ever OK to lie? In the 19th century, Cardinal Newman defended the notion that lying may be justified to prevent a greater harm, by quoting Samuel Johnson: "The general rule is that truth should never be violated; there must, however, be exceptions. If, for example, a murderer has asked which way a man has gone." Both my moral compass and gut instinct tell me that Newman and Johnson still make sense. As people of faith, we cannot be blind to exceptional cases where the letter of the law must give way to the spirit of the law. At the same time, we are well advised to remember that exceptions are best exercised by those who have mastered the rule. The more that we lead truthful lives, and encourage others to do so, the more we will be able to discern those rare occasions where a higher principle demands that we depart from a literal adherence to telling the truth.

My faith comforts me that however heinous the lie, however traumatic the damage in its wake, the power of God's love is infinitely greater. And if we hold ourselves out to be religious, then shouldn't we become generous distributors of that grace and forgiveness? But there is a gulf of difference between being sorry and merely saying you are. Anyone can say sorry (especially when salaries, marriages or political office are on the line). The truly contrite, however, will usually forego well-crafted speeches and let their actions offer the apologies instead.

-- Vyenkata Bhatta dasa, associate director of communications, International Society for Krishna Consciousness, popularly known as the Hare Krishna movement.

According to an ancient Jewish legend, when God proposed making humankind, the angels debated. The angel of justice said, "Let us make humans, for they will strive for justice." The angel of truth said, "Do not make them, for they will be liars." After hearing all the evidence God threw the angel of truth to the ground, trampled upon her, and then created humankind.

Contrary to popular belief, the Ten Commandments do not prohibit lying. The Third Commandment requires one to fulfill an oath taken in the name of God, and the Ninth Commandment prohibits giving false evidence in court testimony. Parents who teach their children never to tell a lie might first consider the following scenario: What if you are a Polish peasant in 1941 and a Nazi says to you, "Tell me where the Jews from your village are hiding." Often, lying is the only moral option. Once someone asked me, "Would you like to know exactly what I think of you?" and I declined. People who always tell the truth are a national treasure, and like the gold in Fort Knox they should be safely locked away.

Scripture commands us: Do not put a stumbling block before the blind. A lie told to steal from another or to deceive is a stumbling block. At other times the truth itself is a stumbling block, and then we must be diplomatic. Jewish law permits lying only when the purpose is to create peace between people and the one who tells the lie has nothing personal to gain. If you want to know what God would do in a situation like that take a look at Genesis 18:13.

People can be very flexible in their moral outrage. I know people who are still aghast that President Clinton lied about sex while leading America to eight years of peace and prosperity, while they are little troubled that we conquered an entire country based on false evidence about WMD.

-- Rabbi Stephen M. Wylen, Temple Beth Tikvah, Wayne

If you say you are sorry is all forgiven? Wow. That is a divine question! By this I mean that Jesus assures us that we are forgiven ... if we believe in His power to forgive....and continue to "avoid the sin."

God alone forgives completely and asks the sinner to turn away from sins so he can "blot out ... your offenses; your sins I remember no more" (Isaiah 43:24) ... however if we are "conveniently remorseful," that is, we confess after we have been "caught" ... I wonder if this is true remorse? It would seem not.

Should we ever lie ...? A dilemma of a question. ... The most obvious answer is no ... because the truth sets us free ... and if we live in the truth, the way and light ... we are abiding in the Lord, who sees what "no man can see" ... and reads our hearts. Should we ever lie? It would be best not to.

-- Father Louis Scurti, Jesus Christ Prince of Peace Chapel, William Paterson University

Reach Makeba Scott Hunter at (973) 569-7154 or hunterm@northjersey.com.

Kulapavana · March 2, 2006

actually, I find such phrases troubling, especially coming from a Director of Communication. We have a long history in our Movement of people justifying telling lies in the name of religion. I find such justifications 99.9% bogus.