# Does God lie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 1, 2012, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-god-lie/611433 "2012-02-01T17:18:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-god-lie/611433/21 "2012-02-01T20:34:10Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > He lied point blank in Genesis. He told them eating the fruit would kill them, because he didn’t want them to get the knowledge of good and evil and become as gods. Spoiler: It didn’t kill them. I’m fairly certain they are dead. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-god-lie/611433/22 "2012-02-01T20:43:07Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > I’m fairly certain they are dead. Yeah, I think here a good case can be made for God meaning they would lose their immortality and would (eventually) die. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-god-lie/611433/23 "2012-02-01T20:53:04Z")
God doesn’t speak - plenty of people have claimed to speak ‘for’ God or be directed by ‘God’ to speak on his behalf (or write things down), but none have proven to be more than men on a power trip. Therefore it is impossible for ‘God’ to lie - its also highly questionable if the ‘God’ most folks refer to exists outside of an idea - and ‘ideas’ can’t lie either (although they can clearly be mistaken). The common answer(s) to **brock** ’s post is that “your faith” is not strong enough, that you must prove yourself worthy or that your request wasn’t inline with ‘God’s Plan’- basically, all fanwank answers to make people more subservient to religious ideals. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-god-lie/611433/24 "2012-02-01T20:59:33Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > Yeah, I think here a good case can be made for God meaning they would lose their immortality and would (eventually) die. I was always under the impression that’s what it meant. Adam and Eve were meant to live forever. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-god-lie/611433/25 "2012-02-01T21:00:00Z")
> [@simster](#): > > God doesn’t speak The OP’s question is _“I was wondering if the Christian God ever lied?”_ The Bible tells of a god directly speaking to others. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-god-lie/611433/26 "2012-02-01T21:05:58Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#): > > The OP’s question is _“I was wondering if the Christian God ever lied?”_ > > The Bible tells of a god directly speaking to others. Who wrote that down? ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-god-lie/611433/27 "2012-02-01T21:08:42Z")
^ It’s irrelevant. It’s obvious from reading the OP that what’s being asked is “does God lie” according to what’s written in the Bible. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-god-lie/611433/28 "2012-02-01T21:27:41Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > This thread would fit better in Great Debates. God, please move it. > [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > (for a Catholic) By definition, he can’t. An omnipotent being can’t adjust a message board post? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-god-lie/611433/29 "2012-02-01T21:37:39Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > An omnipotent being can’t adjust a message board post? :dubious: The only omnipotent beings here are the admins. I don’t think the Catholic God is an admin. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-god-lie/611433/30 "2012-02-01T21:52:44Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#): > > ^ It’s irrelevant. It’s obvious from reading the OP that what’s being asked is “does God lie” according to what’s written in the Bible. We don’t know what ‘God’ does or does not do - all we have is what is written by men who claim to be speaking for God - and there is enough inaccuracies in that to disqualify it as being a legit test for if ‘God’ lies. ---
**Author:** ![GEEPERS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c89c15/32.png) [@GEEPERS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GEEPERS)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-god-lie/611433/31 "2012-02-01T21:56:56Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > He lied point blank in Genesis. He told them eating the fruit would kill them, because he didn’t want them to get the knowledge of good and evil and become as gods. Spoiler: It didn’t kill them. > > Yeah, you can make a weak case about how me meant metaphorically or something, but then you have to go and defend Obi-Wan too. Umm they did die. They were immortable prior to eating the fruit. The act introduced sin into their bodies which began the process of cellular breakdown. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-god-lie/611433/32 "2012-02-01T21:57:07Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#): > > The OP’s question is _“I was wondering if the Christian God ever lied?”_ > > The Bible tells of a god directly speaking to others. The important part of which is “tells of”. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-god-lie/611433/33 "2012-02-01T21:59:00Z")
> [@simster](#): > > all we have is what is written by men who claim to be speaking for God As I said, it’s irrelevant. The OP is asking if God lies according to what’s in the Bible. It doesn’t matter if he asked if Huckleberry Finn lied. ---
**Author:** ![tazmin98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@tazmin98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tazmin98)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-god-lie/611433/34 "2012-02-01T22:03:28Z")
How do I? I’m new to this site. Sorry! ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-god-lie/611433/35 "2012-02-01T22:04:20Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Just for the record: The standard rebuttal to this is: God didn’t put those fake fossils there; the Devil put those fake fossils there to deceive us and tempt us to believe the wrong things. > > (Do you believe THAT?) :dubious: I think it was James Blish’s novel _A Case of Conscience_ that revolved around this heresy, that the devil is capable of creation. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-god-lie/611433/36 "2012-02-01T22:12:53Z")
> [@tazmin98](#): > > How do I? I’m new to this site. Sorry! If the question is, How do you move this to another forum?, then the answer is that you can’t: only an administrator or a moderator can. You can request such a move by reporting a post in the thread, but I wouldn’t bother: I suspect that a moderator will notice the issue soon enough. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-god-lie/611433/37 "2012-02-01T22:13:34Z")
Christopher Robin Davies: > [@](#): > > God also lies to Abram about Sarai’s reaction when he (God) tells that she will bear a child. She laughs and says it is impossible because her husband is so old but God tells Abram that she said she was too old. Very true. The Jewish commentators on this take it as G-d teaching us a lesson that keeping peace between a husband and wife if more important than absolute truth. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-god-lie/611433/38 "2012-02-01T22:15:30Z")
Moved to Great Debates from General Questions. ---
**Author:** ![tazmin98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@tazmin98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tazmin98)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-god-lie/611433/39 "2012-02-01T22:21:55Z")
To clear the confusion, Has God ever lied in the bible? I am a she. ---
**Author:** ![tazmin98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@tazmin98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tazmin98)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-god-lie/611433/40 "2012-02-01T22:23:09Z")
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