Necessary Lies

Knowing when to tell the truth and when not to shows good judgment.

There are the acceptable lies of etiquette. They are acceptable because they allow social relationships to operate and even perform. If you see a stout woman, for example, you don't ask he when the blessed event will occur unless you really know she is pregnant, or if she is proud of her grandchildren, when they may be her children! That is a case of perhaps not knowing the real truth-- that she isn't pregnant and is the mother of the kids. But even when you do know the truth, you don't articulate the truth, as in: "Your body smell is unusually rank today and, by the way, here is my social security number." I think some of what passes for religion in distinction to spirituality and ethics comes under this heading. I was invited to a bat mitvah, and, although I'm not Jewish, I prayed and recited along with the rest. An act of dishonesty? No, it was an act of respect and, as you mention, judgment.