What are lies?
The dictionary says that to tell a lie is to purposely say something that is not true because you want to make the other people believe it; it is an attempt to deceive or mislead someone normally for a personal gain of some sort, however small.
A lie (also called prevarication, falsehood) is a type of deception in the form of an untruthful statement, especially with the intention to deceive others, often with the further intention to maintain a secret or reputation, protect someone's feelings or to avoid a punishment or repercussion for one's actions. To lie is to state something that one knows to be false or that one does not honestly believe to be true with the intention that a person will take it for the truth. A liar is a person who is lying, who has previously lied, or who tends by nature to lie repeatedly - even when not necessary.
Lying is typically used to refer to deceptions in oral or written communication. Other forms of deception, such as disguises or forgeries, are generally not considered lies, but their influence, according to Gurbani, is the same as the underlying intent and is in general the same as a lie. However, even a true statement can be used to deceive. In this situation, it is the intent of being overall untruthful rather than the truthfulness of any individual statement that is considered the lie.
The above is from Sikhiwikki, and quite frankly it makes no sense to me, neither do the puritans who insist that we all go round telling the truth and not deceiving people.
Some points
1. When Guru Gobind SInghji made the pretence of chopping off the heads of the Panj, was that not a deception?
2. When Guru Gobind Singhji disguised himself as a pathan to avoid being caught was that not a lie?
3. Is dressing another so that they look like you to fool the enemy and make your escape not a lie?
4. Do not most military tactics not involve some sort of lying and deception?
It appears to me that the whole truth aspect of Sikhism has been reduced to very simple 'don't tell lies' whereas it is in fact much much bigger and so much more important than that, I would wager that any deception or lying in the name of truthful living is acceptable, but one needs the wisdom and discretion to be able to call it. Can you imagine a Sikh nation living on such principles? is it possible?
Churchill once said that the truth was so precious, it needed a bodyguard of lies.
