Grave matter?

[New_Found_Faith]

Would you consider cheating (academically) to be a sin of grave matter?

 

[GK]

I voted "yes." I don't know enough about church law to know if the church has a specific teaching on this. However, as a student, integrity is a most precious commodity. It's not just about the grade. Cheating on a paper or a test shows a serious flaw of character. There are many reasons people come up with, but they nearly always boil down to not putting in the work.

I'm assuming this isn't just an academic question you're asking, but a real situation. I odn't know if it's you that's cheated, if you know of someone else who has cheated, or if you have a big test tomorrow you aren't prepared for and you're just thinking about it.

If you have cheated, don't worry about whether it's a grave matter; treat it as such. Make it right. Accept the consequences for your wrong doing. Tell the teacher/professor. Then grow from it and don't do it again.

If it's a friend and s/he has asked for your advice, pass on the advice I just passed on to you, but I wouldn't worry too much about forcing him/her to take the advice. You don't have to tattle.

If you're thinking about cheating, don't do it. Don't look for a loophole that makes it only a minor sin so you can feel better about it. You know it's wrong. Do your best at this point, accept the consequence of a lower grade, and study harder the next time.

 

[New_Found_Faith]

I voted "yes." I don't know enough about church law to know if the church has a specific teaching on this. However, as a student, integrity is a most precious commodity. It's not just about the grade. Cheating on a paper or a test shows a serious flaw of character. There are many reasons people come up with, but they nearly always boil down to not putting in the work.

I'm assuming this isn't just an academic question you're asking, but a real situation. I odn't know if it's you that's cheated, if you know of someone else who has cheated, or if you have a big test tomorrow you aren't prepared for and you're just thinking about it.

If you have cheated, don't worry about whether it's a grave matter; treat it as such. Make it right. Accept the consequences for your wrong doing. Tell the teacher/professor. Then grow from it and don't do it again.

If it's a friend and s/he has asked for your advice, pass on the advice I just passed on to you, but I wouldn't worry too much about forcing him/her to take the advice. You don't have to tattle.

If you're thinking about cheating, don't do it. Don't look for a loophole that makes it only a minor sin so you can feel better about it. You know it's wrong. Do your best at this point, accept the consequence of a lower grade, and study harder the next time.

You're reading too much into this. The question was a hypothetical, just wanted to see what the Church might say about it and what you guys think.

 

[GK]

If I've read too much into it, leave out the parts I wrote you don't need. My thoughts still stand for anyone who has cheated or is contemplating cheating and explain the answer I gave in the poll.

 

[New_Found_Faith]

Sure. Just clarifying.

 

[HappyMomof4]

I'd say depends. Are you asking if it's a mortal sin?

A grade schooler might do it, and then I'd say it's not. They might not fully understand that it is wrong, or why it's wrong. And I bet most people have done it at some point. But by high school or college, you should know better.

 

[Teshi]

IMO cheating and lying are basically the same thing. So it depends on the situation.

 

[BillH]

Yes. Cheating is a form of lying, but there is never any situation that I can reasonably think of that would justify lying in this particular situation. (Is someone ever likely to die and/or suffer severe harm because you didn't do well on your math test?)

 

[New_Found_Faith]

Again, the question is a hypothetical. I would say it depends on the situation. As happymomof3 said, not having full knowlege may diminish the gravity of the sin, and likely it would have to be more than just an impulse to be considered of grave matter.

Also I guess it would depend on how you define cheating. To me, cheating is when you ask your friend "Hey dude, what'd you get for #4?" and write down his or her answer before you turn in a homework assignment, whereas someone else may consider cheating to be turning your eyes to someone else's paper without them knowing during an exam. Personally, I think that the first would not be so grave as the second.

 

[BAChristian]

In view of cheating in games, it is morally of grave matter unless the damage to the victim is unusually light (CCC 2413).

 

[frettr00]

Hmm..I thought this was about cheating..as in adultery..so I said yes it's a grave matter

 

[Jamme]

I don't know, so I voted the third option.

I've recently started being an assessor, and it's very difficult to assess students objectively. I'm sure I cheat on their behalf in some small ways - as I know my assessors did when I was a student.

 

[BillH]

Again, the question is a hypothetical. I would say it depends on the situation. As happymomof3 said, not having full knowlege may diminish the gravity of the sin, and likely it would have to be more than just an impulse to be considered of grave matter.

Lack of full knowledge does not diminish the gravity of a sin. It may diminish a person's culpability for having committed the sin and thus make a sin venial instead of mortal, but not the sin's gravity. Remember this basic formula: mortal sin = grave sin + knowledge + consent. It is possible to commit a grave sin without it being a mortal sin, but full knowledge does not affect the gravity of a sin.

Also I guess it would depend on how you define cheating. To me, cheating is when you ask your friend "Hey dude, what'd you get for #4?" and write down his or her answer before you turn in a homework assignment, whereas someone else may consider cheating to be turning your eyes to someone else's paper without them knowing during an exam. Personally, I think that the first would not be so grave as the second.

Well, I think it's really the instructor's job and not the student's to define what constitutes cheating on a test. Personally, I have trouble believing that there is a teacher out there who would find the first ok, but not the second.

 

[D'Ann]

Would you consider cheating (academically) to be a sin of grave matter?

It's the same as lying and deceiving and betraying. When we have a test, the purpose is to see how much we have learned. When we cheat... well, that must mean that we didn't learn what we were suppose to learn and thus... we are lying and trying to deceive and it is a betrayal of trust.

I hope this makes sense.

God's Peace,

Debbie