Cheapness in the name of religion

[Panacea]

Wasn't there a line or two in the Good Book that says words to the effect of "Lying is bad"?

Sort of. There's a story in Acts of the Apostles: a rich couple sell some property, and hold back money when they claim to give all to the church. Peter catches on and confronts them. Peter points out that the money was theirs to give or keep, but that by lying to the church about it they lied to God. They both dropped dead on the spot. Apostles 5

James 3:8 "But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison." Usually this is believed to refer to lying, though the way I read it it could also be talking about boasting or gossip.

Leviticus 19 is more direct: "you shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another."

There's more. Here's a link to some good verses on lying if you're interested. http://www.godvine.com/bible/category/Lying

[EricKei]

James 3:8 "But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison." Usually this is believed to refer to lying, though the way I read it it could also be talking about boasting or gossip.

I agree that it sounds more like an admonition against gossip than anything else -- though, gossip, itself, could be considered a form of lying, as it is the spreading of "information" which the speaker *wants* to believe is true...but often, upon consideration, knows that it is likely to be at least somewhat fictional.