day no. 17,096: bald faced lies and shame faced fibs

“To quote Ward’s phrase, ‘Make up your mind that you are justified in lying and then lie like a trooper.’ Ward’s argument was against equivocation or what people call Jesuitry. He meant, ‘When the child really is hiding in the cupboard and the Chinese torturers really are chasing him with red-hot pincers, then (and then only) be sure that you are right to deceive and do not hesitate to lie; but do not stoop to equivocate. Do not bother yourself to say, 'The child is in a wooden house not far from here,' meaning the cupboard; but say the child is in Chiswick or Chimbora zoo, or anywhere you choose.”’” — G.K. Chesterton, The Catholic Church and Conversion

Deception is permitted in war. Camouflage is not bearing false witness even though it is a lie. It is pretending to be some branches and some leaves in order to go undetected. Lying is not a sin per se, but more often than not it is. Deception is a declaration of war and if you are lying to someone, you are ringing the bell for a fight the other party may not know they are in. That is why you must declare war before you are free to deceive them. And even then, not all wars are permissible. You cannot declare war on anyone for anything in order to do whatever you want. Well, I should say, you can do that, but you shouldn't. It would be a sin to declare an unlawful war and then deceive someone you have no business battling in the first place.

And to Chesterton's point, if it is permissible to lie in a particular scenario, then make it a good one. Don't attempt technicalities. Don't try to lie and assuage your conscience. If you're not comfortable deceiving someone else, then don't. But if you are, then do it well. Embrace the tactic or abandon it, but don't try to split the difference. If deception is permissible in an particular instance, then be like Rahab and deceive. Send the enemy as far as track as possible. Tell them a flat out lie, but don't give them a chance to get warm by seeing how close to the truth you can get without spilling the tea. Tell a bald faced lie, not a shame faced fib.