Does One Always Posses the Moral Obligation to Be Honest?

[ColdSoul]

If you have read the "Wheel of Time" there are characters in there who control magic, and they are incapable of lieing but they use wording that a lot of times makes people think they are lieing.

I'd argue that they would still be lying.  I don't view a lie as an objective property of a group of words but rather as an act of using words with intent to deceive.

If someone "sees through" a lie, is it still a lie? (I'd say yes).  If you believe what you are saying is false but it actually turns out to be true, is it still a lie? (I'd say yes).

There seems to be two different conversations in this thread - one about whether it is okay to lie to people and one about whether it is okay to return violence with violence. 

I understand what your referring to, but I don't think that lieing it's being dis-honest. There is a difference in that being dis-honest is trying to deceive someone but not lieing in specific wording. Lieing is using words that are not the truth at all.

I am not saying it's moral to be dis-honest, but it is more moral than outright lieing, but neither is truely moral.

If someone takes my wording wrong when I mean something specific that's their fault not mine. While I might use wording that can be taken multiple ways and they want to take it in manner A) but I mean in manner B) and they don't ask if I mean specifically A or B that's their problem not mine. Generally if someone asks do you mean A or B I will tell them what I mean since I feel at that point the right thing to do is let them know since they are asking a specific question.

[SpeedPhreak]

depends on what your personal morals are

[Free libertarian]

 In terms of taking something that isn't mine, I feel a moral obligation to be honest.
I would probably steal food if I were starving though.

If I thought I could help a "good" person by lying to a "bad" person, I'd do it. 
For instance a crazed cop says "I'm here to shoot all evil hat wearers which way did they go"? I'd be able to sleep at night if I gave him inaccurate directions.   

Despite my understanding of right and wrong...I have told lies...Everybody lies at one time or another, so let's cut the pious bullshit.  Even animals lie. My dog knows he's not supposed to sleep on the couch...when he hears me stirring upstairs he quickly hops off the couch and curls up on his assigned bed on the floor, he even fakes like he's sleeping when I come down stairs a few minutes later.
So the real question for me is, should I let sleeping dogs lie?     
   

[Roycerson]

No, if force is morally justified in defense against the initiation of force than dishonesty is equally justified.

[dalebert]

So the real question for me is, should I let sleeping dogs lie? 

LOL!

[David]

There are times when I think it is okay, even morally right to lie.  For example, if in nazi germany if I was hiding jews, and the ss asked me if I was, I think it is proper to lie to protect the innocents from harm. 

However, in general, I strongly discourage lieing, even evasion, because it undermines what we are trying to do.  The gov't excells at it, this becomes clear anytime one of our guys/gals is locked up, with the half truths and out right lies the jailers tell us.  But we cannot become like them, not if we want to be respected more than them.  I like Russells answer,

If they ask me "Where is Jesse? We want arrest him." I will tell them, "I don't want to tell you."

[Russell Kanning]

I also can't get caught in a lie that way ... and I remember my lines

[David]

I am a big fan of simplicity within activism for the same reasons, I am not an actor and I can't remember lies anyway, so I try to Keep It Sweet and Simple.   

[KBCraig]

You never have to answer with a lie, especially in casual encounters.

"Which way did they go?"
"How should I know?"

"Do you or don't you know which way they went?"
"I'm just a common worker, why are you picking on me?"

Et cetera.

[Lloyd Danforth]

Maybe its just me, but, my response to which way did they go is to point in the opposite direction.

[dalebert]

Maybe its just me, but, my response to which way did they go is to point in the opposite direction.

LIAR!!

[Keyser Soce]

Mike runs into the room and says; "Joe is trying to kill me". Then he hides in the closet.

Joe runs in a minute later with a pistol his hand and says; "Where did that f____r Mike go".

Are you gonna tell him the truth?

[KBCraig]

Mike runs into the room and says; "Joe is trying to kill me". Then he hides in the closet.

Joe runs in a minute later with a pistol his hand and says; "Where did that f____r Mike go".

Are you gonna tell him the truth?

"What's wrong, Joe? Why are you looking for Mike?"

Redirection is not a lie.

[Keyser Soce]

Mike runs into the room and says; "Joe is trying to kill me". Then he hides in the closet.

Joe runs in a minute later with a pistol his hand and says; "Where did that f____r Mike go".

Are you gonna tell him the truth?

"What's wrong, Joe? Why are you looking for Mike?"

Redirection is not a lie.

Irrelevant. The question is, would you consider a lie here to be immoral? Do you have an obligation to tell Joe the truth in this instance?

[KBCraig]

Mike runs into the room and says; "Joe is trying to kill me". Then he hides in the closet.

Joe runs in a minute later with a pistol his hand and says; "Where did that f____r Mike go".

Are you gonna tell him the truth?

"What's wrong, Joe? Why are you looking for Mike?"

Redirection is not a lie.

Irrelevant. The question is, would you consider a lie here to be immoral? Do you have an obligation to tell Joe the truth in this instance?

Yes, and no. You have no obligation to answer the question at all, but fortunately there's no reason to answer the question that was asked.