What Do Religions Think About Academic Cheating?

Sponsored Post by Robert Everett

So, the question is, is cheating on homework a sin? If you’re religious and thought about cheating before, don’t worry, you are not the only one. Students do it all the time, regardless of their spiritual orientation. Does religion play an important role in the decision-making process? It does if you let it. In the end, it’s all about one’s personal opinion more than anything – if you do indeed think that academic cheating is something to feel guilty about, a feeling of shame might follow you around if you decide to do it; but if you are pretty much going with the flow and don’t put too much pressure on yourself, you’ll soon realize that you are definitely not the only one thinking this way, so continuing to blame yourself will not be something you might be interested in anymore.

According to a recent survey conducted by the Christian online magazine Ignite Your Faith, around 80% of readers report cheating in school one way or another. Most of them select “rarely” or “maybe only once” in their answer sheet, but there are readers who admit cheating every single day! However, when asked if they think cheating is bad, 92% of readers admit that yes, cheating is bad because “God says is wrong,” while 65% say this is the reason they do not cheat.

In the end, one of the Ten Commandments says, “You shall not steal,” and in the end, cheating equals stealing, doesn’t it? In the New Testament, we are advised to “put off falsehood” or “do not lie,” and cheating equals lying. This is how cheating affects our lives.

• It can affect our relationship with teachers and adults

Cheating is unfair to you and your relationships. Think about it – you’ve already developed a trustworthy two-sided friendship with some of the adults around your school – should you really cause a foul-up just now? Your teachers know that cheating equals lying, and they will probably become very disappointed by your actions if you choose to be dishonest. “What if they don’t catch me?” If they don’t catch you, you’ll continue feeling guilty about it until you’ll have to admit in order to get it off your chest. Is that what you want?

• It can affect our relationship with other students

Cheating is not fair to our peers either. When someone cheats, they get a grade that does not reflect their knowledge, which can be incredibly upsetting for that person’s close friends. It’s because they cheated that they won, which is not something Christianity would ever approve of. You might distance yourself from your friends if you choose to take this route.

“So cheating is bad but how about pay someone to write my research paper?” This is different – it could be considered cheating, but it could also work if you are in high need of help but don’t want to miss out on school.

• It makes us stressed

Whether you admit it or not, cheating will make you sweat! The constant worries about “getting caught” will make you develop anxious thoughts and reevaluate your decision. Why do we worry when we cheat? If we stop to think about it, it’s because we are conscious of the consequences of our actions. You know that God is watching you. So why disappoint Him?

• It’s not in our long-term best interest

So, is cheating on a test bad? It is for many reasons, but this is one you’ll really have to think about. Learning builds on learning most of the times – meaning, you will learn the basics of something and later, complicate it to solve harder problems – so how will you be able to update your progress if you are constantly cheating?

• Cheating is embarrassing

Your actions define your personality and your personality defines you. Do you really want to be remembered as “that student who cheats on any test?” It just doesn’t seem right. Cheating will make you look lazy and uninterested, disrespectful and untrustworthy. It’s simply not worth the headache if you want the right people around you.

• Cheating kills trust

People in authority will always have something against you once they catch you cheating. It doesn’t matter that you stop after you already did it once – in their eyes, you’ll always try to take the easy way out and not work hard for your progress.

• It will eventually lead to failure

Skipping class and cheating on the test is not something you’ll only do once if you are good at it. You’ll realize how easy cheating is and how better your life has just become – you don’t have to study anymore so you’re now free to enjoy your life! Right? Wrong! We learn how to deal with challenging situations through hard work and a problem-solver type of thinking, not by slacking off on our responsibilities. If you continue to perpetuate this behavior, it will soon become routine, and it will eventually lead to long-time failure. Is this what you want?

Conclusion

Whether cheating is a bad or good idea, it’s entirely up to you. There are many reasons why cheating should not be something you’re considering, including losing friends and lying to God, but I’m not here to tell you what to choose. It’s up to you, it’s your life!