God doesn't lie because he says so.

[Angrboda]

I've never thought about the fact that if God can't lie then he's not omnipotent. Good point.

It's not that God can't lie, but He doesn't lie.

Theists believe that God is truthful/trustworthy and He won't do something which goes against His own attributes (truthful being one of them). Therefore, He's not going to lie.

That doesn't mean that He "can't" lie.

I hate to say it, but you end up with the same problem only once removed. If it's in his nature that he won't lie, then he cannot lie. Unless God can do what is not in his nature.

[Cato]

But like the OP says: Why should we believe that God doesn't lie? Because he says so?

We shouldn't because god has lied according to the bible. God's prescription for leprosy in LV is wrong. God either lied or did not know the cure for leprosy. Theists can't stomach the latter even though the passages just before suggest that the same god thought houses could have leprosy.

What comes next is the typical theist mental masturbation that conflates lying with deception ignoring the fact that if there was intended deceit, which can't be proved, the lie was its mechansim.

This quickly degenerates into a barrage of bible spam claiming that god doesn't lie; which, is nothing more than the tired argument you alluded to: "because he said so".

[Edwardo Piet]

If someone wrote a book and in it it said "the author of this book never lies" would you believe them?

And as for "moral" I don't see why a truthful God being more moral makes it more likely that he actually tells the truth.

[Darkstar]

Don't they claim that god can be deceitful even though he can't lie?

Yep.
http://tyndalearchive.com/scriptures/www...ceived.htm

AB [The prophet has not been granted permission to give an answer to the hypocritical inquirer] but if the prophet does give the man the answer he desires [thus allowing himself to be a party to the inquirer's sin], I the Lord will see to it that the prophet is deceived in his answer, and I will stretch out My hand against him, and will destroy him from the midst of My people Israel.

It is clear that God has not told the prophet to answer the hypocrite. If the prophet does so, he places himself in a position of guilt along with the inquirer. God will cause that a false answer be given. Then God will take action against that prophet.

So...god lies, but only to people who he doesn't approve of.

God cannot lie (Titus 1: 2; Hebrews 6: 18). Therefore, He does not cause the prophet to be deceived. Satan, or the Devil, deceives the whole world (Revelation 12: 9). Thus, the prophet is deceived by Satan.

Wait, what...?

Witches are more prevalent than one may suppose. They will not be seen in black outfits and riding on broomsticks. Be wary of persons conducting seances, casting spells, or working with the occult in any form. Persons doing such things as magic, fortune-telling, tea-leaf reading, tarot card reading, meditation, and healing through chants and superstition are practising witchcraft. Such are condemned by God. They receive their power from Satan.

Wha...please, no more...

[Cyberman]

If someone wrote a book and in it it said "the author of this book never lies" would you believe them?

If someone went out of their way to point out that the author never lies, not only would I not believe them merely on the strength of it but I'd immediately start to suspect a whopping great lie was to follow.

[Edwardo Piet]

Exactly.

[Stranger]

"Lying" is such a human function it's sick. God is supposed to be above this realm. above what we know as the earth, the stars, the nebulas...and people are asking "Can he lie?" Isn't it so obvious that God was created in man's image, and people even ASKING this question further proves Atheism.

[ThomM]

God doesn't lie because he says so. The Bible is true because it says so.
----------

Sorry - but you would have to prove a god exists to have said anything for that to be true

YOU have not done that
WE can simply reject the idea that a god exists because when asked - christians NEVER provide any TESTABLE and VERIFIABLE proof of the existence of their god

And the bible is NOT true - because it conflicts with reality - and was written by humans.

Spreading rumors and myths created by humans fail to prove anything other than you can be easily mislead.

[SpecUVdust]

Lyrics:
Even in the initial stages of contact between European Christians and
Native Indian people the stage was set for ethnocentrism, and the
attitude towards the Indians was that of Christian superiority. The
Indians were read a proclamation in Spanish which they had no hope of
understanding, they had no hope of understanding the death sentence they
were being read, and it went something like this:
"We ask and require you to acknowledge the church as the ruler and
superior of the whole world and the high priest called pope and in his
name the king of Spain as lords of this land. If you submit we shall
receive you in all love and charity and shall leave you, your wives and
children and your lands free without servitude, but if you do not submit
we shall powerfully enter into your country and shall make war against
you, we shall take you and your wives and your children and shall make
slaves of them and we shall take away your goods and shall do you all
the harm and damage we can."

2000 years ago we were all tribal.
Then came the missionaries with their fucking bible.
1492 began the termination
The holocaust of our Indian nations
Yeah, with Christian love and a moral authority
They killed our medicine men and stole our country
I never claimed this shit was poetry
It's just the fucking lies of Christianity
You will pray to the lord and get down on your knees
Here's a cross for your back and the coughing disease
Though you helped us survive we will laugh while you bleed
Then deny what we did, write our own history
We will kidnap your children and cut off their hair
Silence their language and outlaw their prayers
Beat them blind until they believe
In the blood of Jesus Christ our king
Christians murdered Indians
Columbus murdered children and now we have a holiday
Still you want to deny your history
Look to the sky for your god to justify
As you commit cultural genocide
Christians came and the natives they did hang
13 at a time for Jesus and his gang
We are the ones you had to dehumanize
So your murder and greed could be justified
The belly of the church is full
With the blood of all those heathen fools
Who would not receive the gift of Christ?
So we burned them as a sacrifice
To our baby killing god above
To our mother church and all her love
We will steal their gods and subjugate
Those who don't believe we'll ahnilate

"The Spaniards made bets as to who would slit a man in two or cut of
his head with one blow. They tore babies from their mother's breast by
their feet and dashed their head against the rocks. They hanged Indians
by thirteen in honor and reverence for their redeemer and their twelve
apostles. They put wood underneath and with fire burned the Indians
alive."

Christians murdered Indians
We believe in the earth, the sky and dreams
The universe and the creator who gave us these
The sacred gift of life and human beings
That makes you perpetrate the hate to ahnilate
So here I am the savage civilized
Voice of the dead and my ancestor's cries
And like the ghosts of this land you can't erase
I see blood on the hands of the master race.
500 years of manifest destiny
500 years of resistance to the enemy
You have faith in the rivers, the mountains, the trees
We've a murdering god to replace all of these
With the blood of forgiveness you too can be free
Or the wrath of Jehovah you're sure to receive
We will baptize you with the blood of the lamb
With the sword and the gospel we will conquer your land
You will join our church and be glad to be saved
Or we'll slaughter your children and your women we'll rape.
Christians murdered Indians
I see blood on the hands of the master race.


http://youtu.be/hUE0TBfG7IM