A rotating panel of experts from the worlds of philosophy, psychology and religion offer their perspective on the dilemmas that come with living in Southern California.

Today’s question: Audiences are laughing at the motion picture comedy “Liar, Liar,” in which a spell cast on the leading character forces him to tell the truth for 24 hours, resulting in dire consequences and embarrassment. Is it ever morally acceptable to lie, not just by being less than candid, but by actually telling an untruth?

The Rev. Ignacio Castuera

Pastor, North Glendale United Methodist Church

“ ‘Les Miserables’ is Victor Hugo’s resounding yes to our question. The heroes in the novel are artful liars and the villain is a fastidious observer of the letter of the law. The French Hugenots who saved so many Jews in Le Chambon during the Holocaust lied mightily to the Vichy forces. Actively lying to protect someone else should not be confused with attempts to evade personal responsibility. I do not believe that there is any instance when one is morally justified in lying on one’s behalf but every now and then one may be called upon to be the best possible liar to protect others.”

Maher Hathout

Physician and spokesman, Islamic Center of Southern California, Los Angeles

“From an Islamic perspective, a lie is to deliberately say what you know as not factual to mislead others in a harmful way, or to achieve personal gain. These are unjustifiable lies. But there are times when being less than truthful is appropriate. For example, if I feel the sagging morale of my patient is hindering his or her progress and I say, ‘You look better today,’ this untruthful statement is nonetheless not meant to achieve my personal gain or to inflict harm. The same measure is applied to telling the truth. Truth is not meant to insult or emphasize the negative. It boils down to the prophet Muhammad’s teaching: They are not the deeds that count, but what they were intended for.”

The Venerable Havanpola Ratanasara

President, Buddhist Sangha Council of Southern California

“Since Buddhism has as its foundation the search for truth, we cannot accept lying at any time. Attempting to make people happy by making false statements at best brings merely a temporary satisfaction. In the long run, lying never contributes to good personality development. The Buddhist teaching condemns the liar as a wicked person and Buddha said it is better to remain silent than to tell an untruth. Very rarely does one have to say a hurtful thing. There are other ways of expressing viewpoints without lying. Lying eradicates the best qualities of a person, such as honesty, reliability and integrity. When a person lies, it is easy to continue lying. Once a person becomes a habitual liar, he/she is regressing, both in this world and the next. The Buddha said that there is nothing bad which a liar cannot do.”

Compiled by Larry B. Stammer, Times religion writer