Are religious hoaxes considered a sin?

Question

I've been reading up on hoaxes lately. Some of them are religious. Fake relics and fake miracles and the likes. Well to hell, the remains of Noah's ark, lost tablets mysteriously found in such-and-such's back yard, enough preserved pieces of Jesus's body displayed as relics in various churches to build a couple dozen Jesii, weeping statues with concealed pipes in them, that general sort of thing. Everything from simple misinformation and misdirection to complex forgeries and elaborate staging of events.

And it got me thinking about what goes through the heads of these people. I mean, having created a hoax and knowing it was a hoax created by them must conflict somewhat with the faith of the hoaxer, and with it comes the threat that if exposed, it might undermine the faith of their fellow believers. And a non-believer wouldn't really have much motivation to fake evidence of a deity at all.

So what does religion say on the matter? Is it a sin? A heresy, even? Is it touched upon in the scriptures at all? 


NOTICE: This is a question about the content of religious beliefs and teachings, not the the truth or falsehood thereof. I enjoy the typical R&S banter as much as any, so I won't completely forbid it, but I'd like to kindly request that you keep that on the back burner.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Paul says (2 Corinthians 12:16) that it's acceptable to lie in the service of spreading the gospel. Not all Christians believe that, but it is in the Bible.

David · Answer

Religious hoaxes are simply an extension of a hoax already in progress.  That is, if you rob a bank and, on your way out, go back to take a few extra bucks . .  are the few extra bucks the only sin in question here.  I don't think so.

I believe people who perpetrate religious hoaxes have already robbed the bank and the hoax is nothing more than the tip of the moral collapse -- religion being the actual bank robbery while the little hoaxes are just a few bucks as icing on the cake of well established "sin."

. . . too many metaphors!  Sorry.

G C · Answer

If you read 1, 2Peter, the 1, 2, 3 John, you will see how even from the beginning people taught things wrongly and even performed 'miracles' to draw people to them and away from the church.

Anyone who wants to know can easily check it all out.  The Bible has been validated by objective science as truth.  So turn to it for answers instead of man.  The church of Christ is exampled and commanded in Acts and the Epistles.  It is easily found by comparing any group that calls themselves a church against that truth from God.

Goldy Aluminy · Answer

Exodus 20:16
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

I don't recall any part that says "thou shall not lie".
Yes, there are a lot of "lying for Jesus" people out there. The shroud of Turin is a perfect example. Europe was going crazy with "Jesus relics" and there were lots of shrouds circulating around.
Same old, same old.

~~~~athesit

Anonymous · Answer

Sin doesn't exist so you can trick anyone that you want.

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Are religious hoaxes considered a sin?

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