Lies vs. truth

     This post is going to cover both do's and don'ts because you really can't talk about lies without mentioning truth. Lying has many forms, among which are:lack deceit, hypocrisy, misleading, guile, and  lack of integrity. When God issued the Ten Commandments to Moses, included was "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor" (Ex 20:16). Also in the Old Testament, "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord" (Prov. 12:22). Satan, the epitome of evil and opponent of God, is described in several places as the "father of all lies". In the Book of Mormon, 2 Ne 9:34 is a particularly direct admonition, "Wo unto the liar, for he shall be thrust down to hell." Not all "un-truth" is an out and out lie. Most parents have faced a group of children who are all silent when asked by an angry parent, "Who did this?!" Not speaking up is a form of deceit. On the other hand, sometimes tact is best expressed by silence. It's not always necessary to say everything and anything to expose others to our "true feelings" when the end result will merely be pain. Neal A Maxwell said, "Christians can have the benefit of candor without being cutting. They can be communicative without being manipulative."
     Guile, defined as "cunning, duplicity, deceit" is another form of lying. "Keep thy tongue from evil, and they lips from speaking guile." (Psalms 34:13) " In 1 Peter 2:21-22 Jesus Christ is described thus "because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example,, that ye should follow his steps; Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth." Recently we went to a restaurant where the young man who waited on us was particularly attentive and polite. I felt a little sad or maybe ashamed when I had to wonder if he was genuine or just looking for a big tip. Does he treat his family, friends, neighbors, and others with whom he has day-to-day contact so kindly? We have often been reminded to treat our family members as well as we treat company. We can be comfortable and familiar with family, but it's also good to be polite, considerate, and kind.
     I have done posts before about hypocrisy, another form of dishonesty, it's the "do as I say, not as I do" kind of mentality when a leader/parent wants those over whom he/she has stewardship to conform to different and better rules of behavior than what they expect of themselves. It's also when a person criticizes other for things they do themselves with some sort of excuse to justify their own behavior, if they even recognize it! Jesus often spoke harshly about hypocrites, linking them to liars, lawyers, and other unsavory people. Integrity is acting the same way alone as you would when someone is watching. As I wondered about our waiter, I wondered if I would ever feel the need to alter my behavior if I unexpectedly ran into someone who knew me from the temple or at church. Would I need to feel embarrassed if someone saw or heard me without my previous awareness?
     One last point, it's important to be people of our word. If we promise, we should carry through to the very best of our ability. We need to be trustworthy to employers, neighbors, community members, and especially family/spouse. Don't promise anything you can't produce. Don't back out after a promise unless it's absolutely impossible to avoid.