What social teachings/social scriptures tell you about cheating

Cheating is essentially acting dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain a personal advantage. Cheating
disregards set rules in favor of personal success. When a selfish desire for victory or accomplishment
outweighs a moral commitment to truthfulness and equality, cheating can become a temptation. But as
new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), we can choose to refuse harmful temptations (Matthew
26:41; 1 Corinthians 10:13).

Christians must strive to glorify the Lord with their thoughts and actions (1 Corinthians 3:16). Cheating
goes against the goodness that will glorify Him. Dishonesty mars an individual’s integrity and reputation
(Proverbs 10:9). Not presenting oneself truthfully is lying, and lying is a sin (Leviticus 19:11; Proverbs
12:22).

Even though the world excuses dishonesty when it deems it trivial, God asks His followers to be truth-
tellers all the time. If a student does poorly on a test because he didn’t study, his low grade is a natural
consequence of a poor choice. God will honor that honesty, and the student can learn from his mistakes.
A bad grade on a test may teach and motivate a student to study harder ahead of time or get a tutor or
get enough sleep the night before. Grades in school should represent what has been learned in the class
and the subsequent work of the student. Cheating seeks to bypass the learning process and manipulate
consequences through dishonesty.

Followers of Christ need to walk in the light, and cheating prevents people from seeing Christ’s glory.
Dishonesty taints the goodness the children of God should have (Philippians 2:15; Ephesians 5:8). If our
own Heavenly Father condemns lying (Proverbs 6:16–19), there is no way a believer can justify even a
“harmless” lie such as cheating.

Cheating is a selfish act that gives us an advantage over others who are facing the same challenge. As
Christians, we should seek to help others fairly and justly while maintaining moral integrity and a godly
reputation. Cheating simply does not help uphold that standard.

In the Ten Commandments he said, "You shall not steal" (Deuteronomy 5:19). And cheating is stealing—
usually, it's stealing someone else's work.

In the New Testament, we're told to "put off falsehood" (Ephesians 4:25). Simply put: Don't lie. And
cheating is lying; you're turning in work you're falsely claiming as your own. (On the Campus Life survey,
81 percent of you said "there's no difference" between cheating and lying.)

But one of the Bible's strongest warnings against cheating can be found in Malachi, the last book in the
Old Testament. The first chapter of Malachi says God was disappointed in the priests because they were
cheating on the job.
How did they cheat? God had made it clear that all sacrifices to him had to be made with perfect
animals. But these priests were cheating by sacrificing imperfect animals. (It's one thing to think you can
get away with pulling a fast one on your teacher. But on God? What were these guys thinking?!?)

The Living Bible (Malachi 1:6-14) says the priests had "despised" God's name by offering "polluted
sacrifices." Responding to this charge, the priests said, "Polluted sacrifices? When have we ever done a
thing like that?"

God answered, "Every time you say, 'Don't bother bringing anything very valuable to offer to God!' You
tell the people, 'Lame animals are all right to offer on the altar of the Lord—yes, even the sick and the
blind ones.' And you claim this isn't evil?"

God goes on to tell the cheating priests, "My name shall be great among the nations. But you dishonor
it, saying that my altar is not important, and encouraging people to bring cheap, sick animals to offer to
me on it. …

"Cursed is that man who promises a fine ram from his flock, and substitutes a sick one to sacrifice to
God. For I am a Great King, and my name is to be mightily revered among the Gentiles."

It might be tempting to think, OK, so some old priests cheated God more than 2,000 years ago. What's
that got to do with somebody copying a few answers from somebody else's homework?

Well, a lot, actually. As Christians, we're "priests" too (see 1 Peter 2:5). And as "priests," we're supposed
to give God our best work; he doesn't want any "polluted sacrifices." Instead, he wants us to be a "living
sacrifice" (Romans 12:1).

At first glance, cheating on a quiz may not seem as big a deal as offering God a "polluted sacrifice." But
as Christians, we should think of all of our actions—big or little, "religious" or not—as "living sacrifices"
to God.

Everything we do—in church, in school, at home, everywhere—is ultimately done for (or against) God:
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord. … It is the Lord Christ you are
serving" (Colossians 3:23-24).
The priests in Malachi's day were cheating because they weren't doing their best work. It's just the same
when someone cheats in school; it's not their best work.

And like those old priests in Malachi, we're supposed to give God a good name. That's something we just
can't do if we're wearing the name "Cheater."

Making a difference

It's clear that cheating smears God's name. But cheating affects more than our relationship with God. It
affects our relationships with people, too.

• Cheating affects your relationships with other students. As that non-cheating sophomore told the Trib,
"It's unfair to me and everyone else who doesn't cheat. Cheating is stealing."

When someone cheats—and doesn't get caught—he gets a grade he didn't earn. And that affects other
students in several ways. They might get mad, because they studied hard, only to get a lower grade than
somebody who cheated. They might be tempted to cheat too, just to keep up academically with the
cheaters. And they might be put in a position where they feel they have to tell someone (a teacher, a
counselor, a parent) about the cheating, and that's not a comfortable position.

• Cheating affects your relationships with adults. Maybe it's a teacher. Or a coach. Or the guidance
counselor who's trying to help you get into the right college. Maybe it's a youth leader. Or maybe your
parents. If you're caught cheating, you've broken your trust—not only between you and God, but
between you and anyone who knows you.

But even if you don't get caught, you've violated a trust, and your conscience will tell you that. Maybe
your teacher or your parents don't know, but by cheating, you're on your way to establishing a pattern
of dishonesty that could grow to include lying and stealing too. Dishonesty ruins relationships, and
cheating is just one symptom of an inner condition.

Finally, and most importantly, cheating simply isn't a good witness. If others know you're a Christian and
they see you cheating, what does that tell them?
As Christians, we're called to be different in everything we do—at church, at home, at school. But we're
not only called to be different, but to make a difference to those around us.

Not cheating is a great place to start

What did you learn about kohlberg’s theory/ Giligans theory and apply them to life

The debate between Lawrence Kohlberg and Carol Gilligan dominated the subject of moral development
following Gilligan’s 1982 book, “In a Different Voice,” one of the first to challenge male-centered
psychological research. The differences between Kohlberg and Gilligan boil down to whether males and
females define “morality” differently -- with men focusing on justice concerns, according to Kohlberg,
and females more focused on caring and relationship needs, according to Gilligan.

Theories on how people develop morally became a focus of psychology when Jean Piaget first studied
how individuals’ reasoning and thinking skills evolve throughout the lifespan. Kohlberg liked Piaget’s
approach and, after conducting research studies in the 1960s, used the resulting data to develop a
model of six “universal” stages through which individuals progress morally. By the late 1970s, his model
of moral development was the dominant view. But females consistently achieved Stage 3 when tested
with his model, while men consistently scored at Stages 4 and 5. Gilligan, a former student of Kohlberg’s,
noted that the model was based on tests performed on boys only, and questioned whether women
were really “morally inferior,” as test scores suggested. So, conducting her own research, she developed
an alternative model.

The debate centers around Gilligan’s claim that female psychology and values -- including how women
come to define morality -- differ from those of men. She developed a relational theory that became
known as an “ethics of care.” Kohlberg’s model of moral development centered around the ability to
make decisions based on universal, abstract principles of justice, duty and the use of impartial reason
and logic. Gilligan contended, on the other hand, that because girls understand and define themselves
more in terms of their relationships and responsibilities to others, they hold different traits as morally
valuable. Women also tend to prioritize empathy over logic in their decision making, she said.

What are your struggles along this way and what recommendations would you suggest

How prevalent is student cheating?

Student cheating is very serious. According to many studies, in between 80 and 95 percent
percent of high school students admitted to cheating at least once in the past year and 75 percent
admitted to cheating four or more times. The research goes back 15 years but that’s the highest
it’s ever been. In the mid-1990s, it was around 60 percent. Cheating happens in every school.
One bit of encouraging news is that the Josephson Institute of Ethics released a survey a couple
of weeks ago found that students who had cheated on one exam in the past year dropped quite a
bit. We might re-survey in the spring and hopefully find something similar but it could just be
noise. Too soon to tell.

Who are the students who cheat?

You have the obvious example – students who are struggling and don’t understand the work.
One of the big misconceptions, however, is that it is only these struggling students who cheat,
when in fact studies show that high-achieving students cheat almost as much as other students.

We haven’t found that there are discernible gender differences. Many assume that boys are more
likely to cheat than girls because they’re more competitive, but the research actually doesn’t
support that. Cheating is also more likely as the student moves through the system so the
problem is more common in middle and high school than in elementary.

Is access to technology leading to more cheating?

Not necessarily. Student cheating has taken on many new forms. It’s not just wandering eyes or
notes copied on a hand, and technology certainly provides more opportunities without a doubt –
plagiarizing from the Internet, using cell phones during tests, etc. But what we found is that
while these technologies provide many more avenues for students to cheat, so far its not clear
that these technologies has actually led to an increase in cheating overall.

Students cheat for a number of reasons. They cheat because everybody else is doing it, they cheat
because they have too much work to do and not enough time to do it. They’re under pressure and
they see cheating around them everywhere – sports stars, movie stars, Wall Street. These are
very powerful cultural factors that influence students’ behavior. So the culture of cheating in our
society is formidable even if you took one single factor out of the equation. Nonetheless, I think
the testing culture in schools plays a role. There’s pressure from the teacher, there’s pressure
from the parents. There’s a reason they call them “high-stakes.” Some schools fudge the numbers
because they know their money depends on these scores. All this gets conveyed to the student.

Student are less likely to cheat if they believe that their school values real mastery of a subject,
as opposed to an overemphasis on rote memorization or how you do on a test.

CHEATING
It is a natural tendency of human beings to run after happiness. There are several ways to get
happiness and money is the chief way. The way to money is through academic qualifications and
achievements. These are not everybody’s cup of tea for numerous reasons. Some are not
interested in academic subjects, some do not have the ability to cope with them, some are not
willing to toil and there are some who would just like to do without degrees of any kind.
Whatever the reason, the obsession with happiness is so intense that people get lost in the
labyrinth of paths to happiness. They become the end rather than the means; then begins the
struggle to get through at any cost. The active human brain comes up with strategies that make
the paths easier. These are the springs of cheating.

To cheat means to get something by using dishonest means. It includes the use of illegal and
unacceptable or easy ways to achieve something. Regular study and hard work throughout the
year will definitely lead to success in the examination. A student who neglects his studies is
prompted to cheat in the examination when he wants to get through at any cost. Getting through
the examination is the short term goal, which becomes most important at that stage. The budding
youth forgets his higher aim, that he is preparing himself for a profession which will enable him
to earn money, which in turn will make him happy. For children and adolescents, the line
between right and wrong is hazy. Success in the examination appears to be the right thing; the
dishonest way to achieve it becomes misty and unclear. A pinch of guilt may stick in the throat
but it easily gets swallowed with the success. If this continues, the youths learn to digest the
sense of guilt and the tendency to cheat is nurtured and developed.

Educational institutions give marks and grades and undue importance is attached to grades.
Children often cheat in examinations to keep their parents and teachers happy. It is important to
make students aware that grades are meant to assess their performance so that they can be trained
accordingly. Hence, cheating in examinations is cheating themselves. Sometimes, students cheat
due to peer pressure. At middle school or high school, peer pressure plays an important role. A
student who refuses to help a friend in the examination may be rejected by his peers. According
to McCabe D., cheating is more common in higher education and professional colleges.

Teachers have to be alert. There is a need to change their ways of vigilance. Students nowadays
resort to technology for cheating. Kevin Curran has pointed out that the traditional methods of
detection cannot be successful in preventing cheating in this age of technology. In a survey it
was found that 85% of college students said cheating was necessary to get ahead.

It is all a matter of values. Children must be guided all along the way so that they have clear
ideas about ambitions, achievements and happiness. Of course, sometimes children have genuine
problems which may urge them to cheat. Yet, parents and teachers must shape their minds
appropriately so that they avoid cheating. A practice of cheating in examinations will urge
people to cheat in all walks of life. Cheating is undesirable and unacceptable because it always
usurps the rights of others and inflicts injustice upon others. Happiness should be self- earned,
through fair and honest means.

How will this virtue of non-violence will live

In life, every challenge we face, every stage we undertake is a journey. Every experience carries the
potential of transforming us to be a better person-a hero of our own journey. We become wiser,
stronger and enriched by our own heroic experience. Heroes often get what they seek, but it always
comes at a price. Something must be sacrificed in order to attain our goals—that is what nearly all
stories teach us, not only because it makes for more exciting drama, but also because it is often true. I
believe that anyone can become a hero in his or her own journey.

Everyone has the potential of becoming the hero that we dreamed of as long as we are willing to take
mighty and great exploits by facing our own weaknesses and fears. We do not need to possess “super
powers” in order to call ourselves as “heroes.” All we need to be is to become a changed person then
we start to realize that there is more to life beyond ourselves. It means that we can contribute
something for the good and the welfare of the majority like any other heroes would do. Things may not
go smoothly. We may get bruises along the way but we take heart because it may be through our pain
that other people may find healing. As we move on through our own quest, people will gain insight and
learn from our experiences. I know that in our own little ways we can contribute something that would
leave a mark to the people whom we will meet in our entire lifetime. The adventure may be tough but it
would also be a challenging and exciting one for us because this could open doors to knowledge and
understanding. As a famous line says, “with great power comes great responsibility” and this
responsibility should be handled with great care and attention and with much wisdom and knowledge.
Understanding this can help us achieve wisdom, growth, and independence, and taking our hero
journeys helps us become the people we want to be.

Finally, we can choose the narratives we tell about our lives. So many things in life are out of our
control, but the narratives we create about who we are and where we're going is something that we
do have control over. It can be really be hard to realize that sometimes, life can overwhelm us and make
us feel as if so much is out of our control. However, it is up to us to work with what we have -- to create
our own stories and make our narratives read the way we want them to. Life is filled with the
unexpected for things do change and people do change. If we want to have control of the story of our
life, it is up to us to learn to adapt to this change. We must realize that change is inevitable; therefore,
we need to learn to be flexible. It is only then that we will be able to truly craft our own story without
feeling as if we are powerless to change.

write about morality

He was able to differentiate justice from power in a very realistic way. He said that when a man commits
a crime and have him killed, that is justice. Power is when we have every justification to kill - and we
don't do it because we know that it is not the right thing to do. Power knows how to show mercy and
pardon towards others. A lot of people thought that power is achieved when you are able to do things
as you pleased even if it violates the rights of other people. Some people believe that Power is control of
other people or striking fear in the hearts of others. I think these are just superficial definitions of what
power is.

What is morality? Is it subjective or objective? Does my morality differ to that of Schindler’s or is there a
universal law governing this body of knowledge? According to Wikipedia, “morality is rational and
objective”. It is based on rational human reasoning. For me it is not the consequences of an action that
makes it moral but the reasoning or intention that goes behind the choices one makes.

Would conscience supersede my thirst for money and power and my desire to retain my dignity? I think
that this is exactly what the church wanted us to do; it wanted us to look at ourselves and analyze
what’s inside. It wanted us to rise to the challenges presented, and do the right thing.