Continuation betting is a key part of poker (it is a postflop bet made by the original raiser, so raise preflop!). C-betting can be great part of your game even if your hand does not directly hit the flop. If you think betting when you don’t have a pair is an immoral form of lying then I recommend you quit poker and take up ice dancing, though that sport has also been subject to controversy. Here is a bit of math that shows why c-betting works so well.
Let’s say the pot after your preflop raise and one opponent calls is 1000 chips. If you bet 500 chips, and you NEVER have the best hand by the river, your bet will be positive expected value if your opponent folds 33% of the time. That means if you have 27o and the flop comes AAQ, if you think your opponent will fold 1/3 of the time, it is still a positive play to bet half pot. If you have AA in the same situation, you still have the opportunity to win those 500 chips if your opponent does call. By c-betting you are able to win pots with your good hands, drawing hands, semi-bluffs, and even complete bluffs.
Now, let’s say you have an inside straight draw and a backdoor flush draw (8h7h on a JcTh2d flop). Let’s say your outs give you a 15% chance to win by the river (realistically it could be more like 20-25%), if you bet 500 chips, you only need your opponent to fold more than 17% of the time for your bet to be profitable.
Looking at it another way, if you bet 500 and your hand has 25% equity against your opponent’s range, you break even if your opponent never folds. Granted, these situations are not as simple as I am presenting them because you do not get to realize all of your equity until the river and the equity equation on the river becomes binary because there are no more cards to hit. But, even if your opponent calls you on the flop you have a chance to improve or apply pressure with another bet. This math shows how being the bettor provides a way to win that does not always involve showing down the best hand.