From Medieval Handbooks of Penance

Anyone who utters a falsehood in words whereof good results, by giving a false description to a man's enemies, or by carrying pacific messages between disputants, or by anything that rescues a man from death, there is no heavy penance, provided it is done for God's sake. -- An Old Irish Penitential, ca. 800

Labels: The virtue of truth

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A not quite entirely unsolicited opinion

Someone asked me what I thought about the controversy over LiveAction's methods (and if you don't know anything about a controversy, or LiveAction, or methods, please don't learn about it on my account; you're probably just as well off watching the Lake McDonald Webcam at Glacier National Park for a few minutes, then going about your day).

Here is what I think:

1. On the question, "Is lying always a sin?," I think the Church teaches that yes, lying is always a sin.
2. On the question, "Is every act of intentional verbal misleading a sin?," I think the Church has not given a dogmatic answer, and the preponderance of theological opinion is that no, not every act of intentional verbal misleading is a sin. (Points 1 and 2 together mean that I think the Church does not teach dogmatically that every act of intentional verbal misleading is a lie.)
3. On the question, "Is an act of intentional verbal misleading with the end of causing an individual to sin always a sin?," I think the Church teaches that yes, such an act is always a sin.
4. On the question, "Do LiveAction's methods include intentional verbal misleading with the end of causing an individual to sin?," I think the answer is yes.

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