Expert: Germania Rodriguez - 6/9/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi Germania

I was watching a reality TV show recently that dealt with police action.

In one of the incidents filmed, a known sex offender broke into a woman's apartment and demanded sex. It would appear that he also planned the kill the woman afterwards, in order to leave no witnesses.

However, the victim in this incident, had amazing presence of mind. She kept calm and pretended to cooperate with the offender.

Feigning an attitude of wanting to protect the interests of her attacker, she told him that if she did not turn up for work shortly, someone would probably call around looking for her and that it would be best if she called in sick.

The offender was thus persuaded to let her use the phone.

Because the woman was so successful in the way that she pretended to cooperate, her attacker was put off guard.

While he kept his finger on the hook so as to be able to cut her off immediately if she tried to raise the alarm, he did not monitor the conversation very closely.

Using slight of hand, the woman did not dial the number of her employer however. Instead, she dialed the number of the police.

While she had to fake a conversation with her employer, the police on the other end were able to extract enough clues from what she said, in order to rush around and make an arrest within minutes, which is the bit that was filmed.

My question has to do with the degree to which it is legitimate in Scripture, to use lies and deceit in self-defense as this woman did so 'successfully'.

Personally, I doubt that the victim in this case, had any time with which to formulate alternative survival strategies, evaluate them with respect to their synchrony with moral imperatives such as contained in the Ten Commandments, and then choose one which was not in conflict with any of them.

Nevertheless, I have been told by a number of Christian authorities much more educated than me, that God's laws are not flexible at all and that this woman should have submitted to rape and murder, if she could not think of a survival strategy that did not involve the need to sin.

As I understand it however, the Bible does permit the use of necessary violence in cases of self-defense.

I am told, that if the victim in this case could have laid her hands on a loaded shotgun for example and her attacker refused to be intimidated by it, she would have been justified in spreading his brains over the walls of her apartment if that is what it took to stop him.

It seems bizarre to me, that it can be considered OK to maim or kill in self-defense, but that it is not OK to use one's wits in self defense, on the grounds that the commandment against deceitfulness would be contravened.

Is lying and deceiving 'worse' than killing and maiming in the self-defense situation?

Is the commandment not to lie, 'more important' than the commandment not to kill?

Can you help me understand the apparent incongruity here?

Many thanks

Richard

How would you analyze this case in light of the Biblical injunctions against the use of deceit?

Many thanks

Richard


ANSWER: Hi Richard,
As you just said, was a reality show, but all of this happen in real life too...
Since the fall of man, there's been difficult, hardsip, trial, suffering, pain and sorrow. However, nothing justified lies.... For God white lies are the same the you kill someone. Only human catagorized lies, small or big it is a liar..... and the majority of time we uses liar to get rid of situation wich is not good.
This is some verses Ifind for you to read and you can take your only conclution. ok
Proverbs, 30:7-8   and 19:22
Psalms 119:42-43
John 8:44   and 12:22
Ephesians 4:24-29

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Germania

Thank you for your reply.

I have read all the Scriptures that you listed and can have no doubt about the sinfulness of lying.

Similarly however, I have no doubt about the sinfulness of killing. Its just that the Bible appears to allow killing in the case of self-defense.

Killing is a very awful thing, even in self-defense. I am just wondering why killing would be permitted in the case of self-defense, but not deception as per the example which I gave in my last post.

Thanking you

Richard

Answer
Hi Richard,
Do you know the ten Commmandmends?....Go Exodus 20:13...then go to
Matthew 5:21...them go to Romans 13:9.
Do you know why God dont let David to build his church?... because David hands was full of blood.....go to 1 Chronicles 22:6-10
thank you