Is it better to lie to people in church?

[Godscreated]

Sometimes a perceived lie is not a lie but love in disguise.

I'm unsurprised that GC could say this with a straight face.

While there may have been no harm in the lie, and in fact it may have been done out of love, it is still a lie. There is no malicious intent required for it to be a lie, only that it is knowingly false.

lie
noun
1. a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood.
2. something intended or serving to convey a false impression; imposture: His flashy car was a lie that deceived no one.
3. an inaccurate or false statement.
4. the charge or accusation of lying: He flung the lie back at his accusers.
verb (used without object)
5. to speak falsely or utter untruth knowingly, as with intent to deceive.
6. to express what is false; convey a false impression.

I know the definition of a lie and I understand some think that the letter of the law is all there is. I know that to protect someone with a statement that is not exactly the truth is walking a fine line. In this situation I believe there was no lie, only a grandfather who was protecting a loved one. Now do not misunderstand, I'm not saying that love is a valid reason to cover wrongs, in this situation AtheistAtheist was not doing anything that was wrong, nor was the grandfather in the example I gave. Jesus told the Jewish priest that they live by the letter of the law with no compassion and that they were in danger of judgement. By the statements made most that have responded see that compassion is important. In this situation I believe AtheistAtheist should be thankful for the way grandfather handled this situation, he could have said he's an atheist see if you can talk some sense into him, putting AtheistAtheist in a difficult situation and most uncomfortable at the least. Tell grandfather thank you, be grateful for his love instead of criticizing him.