A girl was was asked once, why she lied about something, her reply was, "I didn't lie, I just didn't tell the truth." Now, that might sound crazy and funny, but it makes sense to me. There are quotes like "Honesty is the best policy" and "Honesty is an expensive gift, don't expect it from cheap people." But really, is all this talk about honesty pragmatic?
Forget the distinction of white lies, the Christians say that a lie is a lie, be it white or multicoloured, and that telling a lie is wrong. Very funny. Why then do we lie to kids? Why not go ahead and tell them that there's no Tooth Fairy, or that Santa Claus isn't real. Why not say "Hey, your Dad had to leave because, I caught him screwing another woman on our bed."
I believe that most lies are told, so as not to hurt the other person's feelings. If telling a lie is so bad, why don't we go ahead and give a loved one that's prone to a heart attack, a heart wrenching news, so that they can kick the bucket right away. Why wait?
Who else thinks that lies are necessary?