Lying...

Phil Fox Rose has written an excellent article on the subject of lying on Busted Halo concerning Radical Honesty. The list below is his "Tool Kit", you'll want to read the whole article.


Before you lie

1. Pray for guidance, turning your will over to God, and asking for insight.
2. Pray also that your intentions be loving toward the other person and free
from personal gain.
3. Ask yourself these questions:
* “Am I treating this as the serious moral decision it is?”
* “Am I being the person I want to be in this moment if I do this?”
* “Is this lie for personal gain?”
* "Does the person I’m considering lying to have the spiritual capacity to
grow from the truth or would the truth just harm them?"
* “Am I denying them the opportunity to truly know me? Am I withholding
part of myself from them? Why?
4. If this is a matter of lesser of two evils, thoroughly weigh your options.
5. Tell trusted friends and advisers (therapist, spiritual advisor, mentor,
sponsor) and, if appropriate, seek their opinion.
6. If you don’t want to bring it to others, what is that telling you? Are you
afraid they’ll think you are wrong for wanting to lie? Does that suggest you
don’t really think it’s justified. Do you really want to do it even though you
suspect it’s wrong, and are afraid they’ll tell you not to do it? Sit with
this.
7. Pray again, asking that God free you from fear, and show you the right
actions, so that you might be of maximum usefulness and lovingness.