The Communication Principle in the Book of Psalms

The communication principle that is outlined in this paper is about communicating lies and what the outcome of lying is. In the book of Psalm, it explains very clear about the bibles stance on lying. Psalm 59:12-13:12 reads, “For the sins of their mouths, for the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride. For the curses and lies they utter, 13 consume them in your wrath; consume them till they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob.”

Speaking truthfully is a very important part of living ethically. The Bible has very strong feelings against lying as seen in this book of Psalms. If someone knowingly tells someone that they intend to do something, but know that there is no intention of actually doing it, they are lying. Most of the time small white lies are made just because a person is put on the spot and answers quickly with a rash thought. If someone doesn’t take the time to think about the question they were asked, and answer quickly, they could be lying unintentionally.

Honesty requires someone with the best intention to tell the truth and to avoid communicating in a way that is deceiving. Intent has a vested relationship between truthfulness and truth. Someone can be truthful and ethical even if what they say is not actually truthful. Being incorrect in communication is not being an actual liar. Something told as the result of a mistake is not an act of dishonesty. Honest mistakes can still affect trust between communicators due to the extent of reliability and carefulness, but a person who makes a mistake is not considered a liar.

I found that there are three aspects to communicating honestly: truthfulness, candor, and sincerity. The first one I will define is tru...

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...question. Once you find out more information, it is your job as the communicator to ensure that you let your intended audience know of your findings and the truth.

Another question I have in reference to the scripture from Psalms about truthful speaking is: If someone makes an honest mistake by misrepresenting a truth because of lack of knowledge, does that make them a liar? I don’t think it does. I think if someone tells exactly what they honestly know, even if it’s incorrect it is not a lie. These questions are in tune with the scripture because influential preachers like Abraham and Paul often spoke to large groups of followers and using these principles in honest communication made them successful. There is no way back then they could have memorized everything that the Lord had told them. They did a great job of preaching what they thought and knew to be right.