Comments on A Robert Brault Reader: The Kind Lie Versus the Unkind Truth

I feel fortunate that the truth can be known and t...

2011-11-17T19:17:04.499-08:00

I feel fortunate that the truth can be known and that true kindness is such a large part of that truth. God has made the truth available to all who truly seek it. God Bless.

Jeanine, I stated my opinion about all this in my ...

2011-11-17T17:30:44.261-08:00

Jeanine, I stated my opinion about all this in my original aphorism -- I know better what is kind than what is true. If you know better what is true, then congratulations, God has surely favored you. rb

First off, I would like to say that for the most p...

2011-11-17T12:50:55.978-08:00

First off, I would like to say that for the most part, I really do like your site and ideas. I appreciate your willingness to respond and reason. God doesn’t want robots either! He created us to think and reason. Being kind (to everyone) IS important. Thank you for caring about kindness.

The verse makes a statement about not saying something FALSE. There is a reason so many shorten it "Do not lie." Ultimately, people know we shouldn't lie. If it was ok, why would we try to make sure other's don't find out about our falsehood?

It is possible to tell the truth maliciously, to be hurtful on purpose. That IS unkind. Telling the truth out of love IS for their welfare. Telling the truth with kindness, love, and respect does not have to brutal. It can be and obviously is hard to do at times. Sometimes, it’s not the popular option, and it would really make ourselves feel better to take the easier route and just lie. How often is the lie that helps one, hurts another? Lies rarely stay between just the liar and the one(‘s) being lied to.

Who gets to determine the "shade" of the white lie? It can't be the person being lied to, or they would know you were lying to them. How would they feel then? How do you feel when you discover you’ve been lied to? What kind of lies are ok? Where’s the line? Is that the same line that that person being lied to would choose?

That’s why there is a standard that includes everyone. Do not bear false witness (against your neighbor), Do not lie, Do not lie to each other (I will provide verses if you like, but you don’t need a scripture download to understand it) … It’s stated many times. . Not to contradict information, but to show examples of, that whatever the reason, it’s still not good

What lies have been told to you to help benefit you? In the long run, was there anything better that could have been said or done that would have benefited more?

What lies have you told to help benefit or build up your neighbor? In the long run, was there something better that could have been said or done?

Yes, free will is a gift from God. That doesn't mean everything we do with it is good.
I apologize for this being so long, but truth is a subject very dear to my heart. I’ve been hurt by the truth (who hasn’t?). When the truth has been spoken out of love, I’ve been grateful that someone cared enough for me to take the difficult option, and ultimately help me so much more than a lie could have done.

Thank you for your ideas.

Jeanine, The whole point of my argument is that th...

2011-11-16T16:16:37.721-08:00

Jeanine,
The whole point of my argument is that the commandment reads, "Thou shalt not bear false witness AGAINST thy neighbor." Note the word, AGAINST. It says nothing about telling white lies to ease your neighbor's burden in the world. What you label as "an amazing capacity for what we classify as a white lie" is simply kindness and good judgment. It is a God-given capacity, given to us by a merciful God. It is what makes us thoughtful human beings and not robots, controlled by Scripture implants in our brains. rb

Actually, It is "Thou shalt not bear false wi...

2011-11-16T15:17:15.729-08:00

Actually, It is "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." Exodus 20:16. NASB "'You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another." Leviticus 19:11 NASB I could post several other verses regarding the truth.
Just because we have all lied, doesn't make it ok, even for little ones. The ten commandemants shows us how all of us fall short and therefore need God's forgiveness. It doesn't mean you have to be cruel and hurtful with the truth, but speak all in love. We should all be kind, as it is a fruit of the spirit, but that doesn't justify lying. As humans we have an amazing capacity for what we will classify as a white lie.

Bill, Indeed a common mistake, and in a world wher...

2011-07-14T05:32:09.290-07:00

Bill,
Indeed a common mistake, and in a world where people say "loose" when they mean "lose", I can't get too excited about "quote" vs "quotation." What would actually concern me is if people think my original thoughts are "quotes."

smiles,
rb

Doesn't it ever bother you when someone refers...

2011-07-13T11:40:16.864-07:00

Doesn't it ever bother you when someone refers to your postings as "quotes", when that is grammatically wrong? "Quotation" is the noun, "quote" is the verb. Pretty common mistake, though.

Memoir Christate, Thanks for your kind comment. G...

2011-06-09T11:33:58.304-07:00

Memoir Christate,
Thanks for your kind comment. Glad to say something meaningful to you.

smiles,
rb

Enjoy the little things...this made me realize how...

2011-06-09T06:12:30.696-07:00

Enjoy the little things...this made me realize how I am missing these and need to slow down...to have rich memories this has said it all!!

Angela, Thanks so much. As a rule, the more basic...

2011-03-14T06:04:04.265-07:00

Angela,
Thanks so much. As a rule, the more basic the thought, the more profound.

Oops....all of your thoughtS...

2011-03-12T04:51:06.348-08:00

Oops....all of your thoughtS...

I absolutely enjoy myself when reading your though...

2011-03-12T04:50:05.990-08:00

I absolutely enjoy myself when reading your thought...so profound yet so basic. Thank you.

Tammy Lee, Thanks so much for your comment. I gue...

2010-10-06T05:37:54.854-07:00

Tammy Lee,
Thanks so much for your comment. I guess I was little short with Joey.

smiles,
rb

Joey, have you never been so very sure that someth...

2010-10-05T15:54:43.788-07:00

Joey, have you never been so very sure that something was true, only to find you were wrong? I believe this is what Mr. Brault is getting at; and I also believe we have all done so. I stumbled upon this blog just moments ago; oh so happy I have, so inspiring to the pursuit of "kindness always." :-)

Joey, I don't mean to give you a flip answer, ...

2010-09-09T15:38:19.641-07:00

Joey,
I don't mean to give you a flip answer, but if I knew a way to say it more clearly, I would have said it more clearly.

rb

What did you mean exactly by "...for I am far...

2010-09-09T14:08:38.935-07:00

What did you mean exactly by "...for I am far surer of what is kind than I am of what is true."

we have to be very careful when we say what the tr...

2010-08-19T14:52:05.138-07:00

we have to be very careful when we say what the truth is, and the way we talk, as you know saying truth is not easy but we have to learn how to do it, always being respectful and kind.

Dear Liz, the quote you mention as attributed to F...

2010-06-16T11:21:35.485-07:00

Dear Liz, the quote you mention as attributed to Fred Astaire I have come across in my study of Buddhism. However, since Buddha was a Hindu trying to clean up his own religion (as Christ tried to clean up Judaism), it probably goes back into history much earlier than Buddhism, and could easily have the Vedas as its source. Its wisdom has been a very helpful guide along the way....

and bending the truth is not always a lie

2010-04-25T19:09:10.411-07:00

and bending the truth is not always a lie

thatdudejude, We do disagree. But I will not try ...

2010-04-10T07:52:14.909-07:00

thatdudejude,
We do disagree. But I will not try further to convince you; the passing years will do the job soon enough.

smiles,
rb

you are right sir...the bible doesn't outright...

2010-04-09T17:46:57.118-07:00

you are right sir...the bible doesn't outright state that one shouldn't lie...i was under the misconception that it did. i must have been in a bad mood or an ego-trip when i typed up that last post lol. my apologies for lashing out so strongly. However, i do stand by the notion that lying is almost never beneficial (extreme circumstances/situations aside). If one lies too much, its only inevitable that they begin to mistrust their own selves at some point or another. Furthermore, while lying may spare a persons feelings in the short run, in the long run they may come to resent you for doing so should they find out later, even when you did it solely for their benefit...just ask the parents or friends of one of those 'american idol' hopefuls who went and humiliated themselves on TV b/c they were never told how bad they actually were! Honesty is w/o a doubt a difficult virtue to maintain, but it is always best.

thatdudejude, Thank you for your gentle response. ...

2010-03-27T04:40:41.200-07:00

thatdudejude,
Thank you for your gentle response. The commandment says, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." You interpret this to mean "Thou shalt not lie." I interpret it to mean, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." One of us is indeed guilty of "twisting and contorting the words of scripture."

I wonder what "personal agenda" is fulfilled by encouraging people to be kind to their neighbor.

smiles,
rb

See, this is EXACTLY the problem with religion and...

2010-03-26T23:06:12.465-07:00

See, this is EXACTLY the problem with religion and those that use the bible to guide every aspect of their life... Tell me sir, where in the Bible does it say "thou shall not lie except when it may be unkind to others"??? where in the bible has God ever demonstrated that doing what is 'kind' is more important than doing whats right? The book says you shouldn't lie PERIOD. you and many others like yourself have a habit of twisting and contorting the words of the scripture to suit your tastes and fulfill personal agendas...if you chose to lie to save someone's feelings thats fine and dandy, but dont try to justify it with some convoluted explanation of biblical text.

Lisa, This is one of my favorites, too, and I'...

2009-12-18T12:26:28.999-08:00

Lisa,
This is one of my favorites, too, and I'm so pleased you like it. The idea that I inspire anyone is pretty overwhelming. Thanks.

smiles,
rb

This is one of my favorite quotes. I try practing ...

2009-12-18T05:27:42.171-08:00

This is one of my favorite quotes. I try practing kindness everyday, some are harder than others and sometimes I fail. I love reading your quotes and use them often on FB to inspire, and express myself and have found I often have inspired others by passing yours and others quotes along. Thank you very much.
Lisa Stanley