Corruption, Duplicitousness, and Lying are Important Christian Values, Apparently.

[Bretton Garcia]

54. 1) Jesus told followers to be sly as snakes.

"Wise as serpents" in some translations.

2) In the Old Testament, prophets are told to prophesy false things.

3) Once,.when talking on a religion show.about the pederasty and coverup scandal, I noted that many priests, bishops, had known about the problem, but had lied, and assured us we had a perfect or very good church.. That I said, was a lie. So I asked how they justified such lies to themselves.

I asked if priests had some kind of ethics argument to justify lying. They said they did.

Their example was this: suppose you are in Nazi Germany, hiding Jews in your house. One day, Nazi troops arrive, and ask if you know where any hidden Jews might be. Are you required by honesty, to say " yes"?

Priests told me you are not. They said the real, larger question that was being asked, was this: "do you know where any hidden Jews are - and do you want us to arrest them, and execute them?" And to that question, they asserted, you could say " no.."

But in effect? To the short-term question that had been asked, you WERE allowed to lie in response.

So our churches DO teach religious leaders arguments allowing religious leaders to lie.