There is a new thought among researchers that children can and will tell deliberate lies by age 4, or perhaps even earlier. However, until age 8 most children cannot distinguish between a deliberate false statement and an unintentional one, but do know that it is wrong to try to mislead someone. Lying has become the hallmark of our society. We see mass media distort the truth through sensationalism every day of our lives. Americans say they no longer trust journalists to tell them the truth about their world.
Young people have difficulty finding anything of relevance to their lives in the daily newspaper.
We see truth distorted by politicians. We see truth distorted by preachers. A traveling preacher was debating with a Texas oilman who doubted the reality of divine punishment. In this morning's paper there's an article about a politician who was struck by lightning while he was lying. Some say each culture should define what is right for its members.