Question about academic integrity

gideon123 · Feb 26, 2017

Dear Flip Flop.

I offer these words of wisdom.

STOP cheating immediately. "Stopping" doesnt mean you 'stop a little'. It means you stop completely. You are only cheating yourself.

Do not drop out. Confess your sins to God, start working hard in school, and start being completely honest.

You keep talking about 'stuff that happened in class'. Forget that. This is about your relationship with God. Love God and serve him honestly. Walk a straight path with God!!

Blessings!!

ebedmelech · Feb 26, 2017

flipflop2234 said:
Hello, this is my first post on this forum so please forgive me if I format poorly. I truly don't know what to do here. To give you context, I am 18 and about to finish highschool. I have cheated plenty of times in the past whether it be a copied assignment here or a formula that was punched in my calculator before a quiz. Upon coming back to my faith (3-4 months ago) I haven't cheated much at all but I can't help feeling overwhelming guilt over cheating as if my diploma I will soon be handed has been tainted. I feel that if I accept this diploma and move onto college I will lie to everyone. I will lie to my highschool that I earned my grades. I will lie to my college that I earned my highschool graduation, and I will lie to my future employer that I was rightfully admitted into college. Seems like the only option is to drop out?? It seems too extreme but at the same time could be what I am called to do. I saw a similar post about this topic about a fellow who was feeling bad about cheating in college and someone responded with
You are committing willful sin, cheating, lying, stealing, having someone else lie for you and worst of all, praying to God, you are not a doctor or a heart specialist. You should stand up, and you did not earn your degree. You are well aware of it, and you want the Christians to feel sorry for you and sing Kumbaya, you need to not graduate. It is a lie. You have continued in this sin, from high school. I do not feel your sorrow. I hear your excuses and you wanting to get validated, to ease your conscience. When you go for a job interview, the lies will continue. Where does it end. True Repentance, is not only confession of sin, but restoration of the stolen property. In this case, your diploma is a lie and your spouse to be, your parents and yourself is still being manipulated. Just recently, we have had cases, where people have done the same exact thing, and 30 years later, other people have suffered for this seemingly simple, manipulation. I pray for you. it is not the end of the world. But you need to do the right thing. Your mind would be freed, by not accepting that paper. God is present in all these actions, and Christ is being shamed. Free yourself, by speaking the truth. Your whole life will be made much better, and you will have a testimony, for other kids. Be a radical for Christ. The fact that the Holy Spirit is convicting you and you did not remedy the situation, is the reason for your guilty conscience and lack lustre feeling. A Christian always acts on Conviction from the Holy Spirit, or else he will not continue to dwell in a willfull sinning and not repenting fully. Then you would be left up to the error of you ways and the consequences of your actions. What does it profit one, to gain the whole world and their soul is not right with Almighty God. One lie continues from High School then college. I hope you see the pattern here. It is not too late to make things right. Your choice."

This seems very harsh but I was wondering if it holds truth or not. At first I was sure I had to drop out but I'm sure I was dishonest at times in middle school, by this logic I would have to deny the dact that I was educated up to 8th grade! My parents and peers would be very surprised and upset with me if I gave it all up and even my christian brother who I have confided in says to just keep going and that I have been made clean by the blood of Jesus and not cheat again. I am at a loss guys. Please help a fellow christian brother for I have already cried out to Jesus and prayer and asked for forgiveness and guidance and now I call to all of you

What I would urge you to do is examine yourself. Yes...you cheated...BUT...did you study at all? If you did put yourself to the test and see if your diploma is valid. Have you taken an SAT/ACT test without cheating...and did you pass? If so, obviously you gained required knowledge. Your cheating probably gave you grades you didn't deserve, but a college entrance exam is designed to see if your education qualifies you to enter college.

Maybe test yourself through a GED test. If you pass obviously you are educated enough to enter college.

If that be the case you should confess your sin to God, stop cheating at all, and move on from there with proper study and preparation.

Walk after Jesus words of John 8:31, 32:
31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him,“If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.

That is true in reference to knowing Jesus as "THE TRUTH", but equally true in life. If you speak truth you never have to worry about what you say.

joshua 1 9 · Feb 26, 2017

flipflop2234 said:
Hello, this is my first post on this forum so please forgive me if I format poorly. I truly don't know what to do here. To give you context, I am 18 and about to finish highschool. I have cheated plenty of times in the past whether it be a copied assignment here or a formula that was punched in my calculator before a quiz. Upon coming back to my faith (3-4 months ago) I haven't cheated much at all but I can't help feeling overwhelming guilt over cheating as if my diploma I will soon be handed has been tainted. I feel that if I accept this diploma and move onto college I will lie to everyone. I will lie to my highschool that I earned my grades. I will lie to my college that I earned my highschool graduation, and I will lie to my future employer that I was rightfully admitted into college. Seems like the only option is to drop out?? It seems too extreme but at the same time could be what I am called to do. I saw a similar post about this topic about a fellow who was feeling bad about cheating in college and someone responded with
You are committing willful sin, cheating, lying, stealing, having someone else lie for you and worst of all, praying to God, you are not a doctor or a heart specialist. You should stand up, and you did not earn your degree. You are well aware of it, and you want the Christians to feel sorry for you and sing Kumbaya, you need to not graduate. It is a lie. You have continued in this sin, from high school. I do not feel your sorrow. I hear your excuses and you wanting to get validated, to ease your conscience. When you go for a job interview, the lies will continue. Where does it end. True Repentance, is not only confession of sin, but restoration of the stolen property. In this case, your diploma is a lie and your spouse to be, your parents and yourself is still being manipulated. Just recently, we have had cases, where people have done the same exact thing, and 30 years later, other people have suffered for this seemingly simple, manipulation. I pray for you. it is not the end of the world. But you need to do the right thing. Your mind would be freed, by not accepting that paper. God is present in all these actions, and Christ is being shamed. Free yourself, by speaking the truth. Your whole life will be made much better, and you will have a testimony, for other kids. Be a radical for Christ. The fact that the Holy Spirit is convicting you and you did not remedy the situation, is the reason for your guilty conscience and lack lustre feeling. A Christian always acts on Conviction from the Holy Spirit, or else he will not continue to dwell in a willfull sinning and not repenting fully. Then you would be left up to the error of you ways and the consequences of your actions. What does it profit one, to gain the whole world and their soul is not right with Almighty God. One lie continues from High School then college. I hope you see the pattern here. It is not too late to make things right. Your choice."

This seems very harsh but I was wondering if it holds truth or not. At first I was sure I had to drop out but I'm sure I was dishonest at times in middle school, by this logic I would have to deny the dact that I was educated up to 8th grade! My parents and peers would be very surprised and upset with me if I gave it all up and even my christian brother who I have confided in says to just keep going and that I have been made clean by the blood of Jesus and not cheat again. I am at a loss guys. Please help a fellow christian brother for I have already cried out to Jesus and prayer and asked for forgiveness and guidance and now I call to all of you

College has nothing to do with your GPA and everything to do with your ability to be able to do the work. They have their own tests to determine if you can do college level work or not. If you can not do the work then they will give you remedial classes to take. I know lots of people in college taking high school classes to get up to a level they can take college classes. I did not have a high school degree. I had a GED and even that did not matter so much as just having a score on your entrance exams that shows you can do college level work. Then when I got out on the job they did not care if I did not have a high school degree because by then I had two years of college credits.

You cheated yourself because you are going to have to work harder in college. There is a reason why they have you do all that stuff back in High School.

Thecup · Feb 26, 2017

If you are doing your finals you can study honestly for them. You can also make a confession but don't be too blatant about how you feel inside. Just mention normally because you can get very hurt from people who are there just because they are doing their job. Remember that non of us are perfect, so if it's not a priest who is also imperfect and the Headmaster is not prepared for it, he might take it the wrong way. So please be careful. It will however clear your conscience and you will feel better. Also try to emphasise that you are not thinking of doing anything like that again. When you go to confess to your school, 'feel' forgiven because you are (because not only you already spoke with Jesus, you have confessed here too)otherwise you might project something negative. You can then take a year out and think how you can get the same qualifications the very honest way
Hope that helps, just be careful.

flipflop2234 · Feb 26, 2017

Open Heart said:
Cheating is the sin of stealing, because you are taking another person's work or answers and passing it off as your own.

Do you believe you learned the material despite your cheating? IOW did you just cheat to get out of boring homework, or were you not able to pass tests without cheating? If you didn't learn the material, you cannot graduate because you have not earned your degree. Having a diploma would be A LIE. If you believe you have learned the material and were just lazy, then the resolve to change your bad habit should be enough.

You see, repentance isn't just saying "God, I feel bad about what I did, I won't do it any more." It ALSO means not keeping the profits of your sin. For example, if you embezzled $50,000, you don't say to God, "Forgive me for embezzling, and help me to invest the money properly."

If you decide it's not honest to graduate, then go study for your GED.
1. Because that is the honest thing to do.
2. Because you aren't going to do well enough in college if you've been cheating your way through High School. There is no substitute for actually learning the material.
3. Because there is value in actual learning.

I would make a face to face confession about this with your pastor. Get some advice.

I believe I learned the material and was for the most part just lazy.

flipflop2234 · Feb 27, 2017

Open Heart said:
Cheating is the sin of stealing, because you are taking another person's work or answers and passing it off as your own.

Do you believe you learned the material despite your cheating? IOW did you just cheat to get out of boring homework, or were you not able to pass tests without cheating? If you didn't learn the material, you cannot graduate because you have not earned your degree. Having a diploma would be A LIE. If you believe you have learned the material and were just lazy, then the resolve to change your bad habit should be enough.

You see, repentance isn't just saying "God, I feel bad about what I did, I won't do it any more." It ALSO means not keeping the profits of your sin. For example, if you embezzled $50,000, you don't say to God, "Forgive me for embezzling, and help me to invest the money properly."

If you decide it's not honest to graduate, then go study for your GED.
1. Because that is the honest thing to do.
2. Because you aren't going to do well enough in college if you've been cheating your way through High School. There is no substitute for actually learning the material.
3. Because there is value in actual learning.

I would make a face to face confession about this with your pastor. Get some advice.

I also scored very well on the standardized test for "college preparedness" (ACT)

flipflop2234 · Feb 27, 2017

ebedmelech said:
What I would urge you to do is examine yourself. Yes...you cheated...BUT...did you study at all? If you did put yourself to the test and see if your diploma is valid. Have you taken an SAT/ACT test without cheating...and did you pass? If so, obviously you gained required knowledge. Your cheating probably gave you grades you didn't deserve, but a college entrance exam is designed to see if your education qualifies you to enter college.

Maybe test yourself through a GED test. If you pass obviously you are educated enough to enter college.

If that be the case you should confess your sin to God, stop cheating at all, and move on from there with proper study and preparation.

Walk after Jesus words of John 8:31, 32:
31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him,“If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.

That is true in reference to knowing Jesus as "THE TRUTH", but equally true in life. If you speak truth you never have to worry about what you say.

Yes I did very well on the ACT without cheating. I got a 29 composite score

flipflop2234 · Feb 27, 2017

Open Heart said:
Cheating is the sin of stealing, because you are taking another person's work or answers and passing it off as your own.

Do you believe you learned the material despite your cheating? IOW did you just cheat to get out of boring homework, or were you not able to pass tests without cheating? If you didn't learn the material, you cannot graduate because you have not earned your degree. Having a diploma would be A LIE. If you believe you have learned the material and were just lazy, then the resolve to change your bad habit should be enough.

You see, repentance isn't just saying "God, I feel bad about what I did, I won't do it any more." It ALSO means not keeping the profits of your sin. For example, if you embezzled $50,000, you don't say to God, "Forgive me for embezzling, and help me to invest the money properly."

If you decide it's not honest to graduate, then go study for your GED.
1. Because that is the honest thing to do.
2. Because you aren't going to do well enough in college if you've been cheating your way through High School. There is no substitute for actually learning the material.
3. Because there is value in actual learning.

I would make a face to face confession about this with your pastor. Get some advice.

I think I earned my admission into college but not necesarily my grade on psychology

rebornfree · Feb 27, 2017

flipflop2234 said:
I feel that if I accept this diploma and move onto college I will lie to everyone. I will lie to my highschool that I earned my grades. I will lie to my college that I earned my highschool graduation, and I will lie to my future employer that I was rightfully admitted into college.

I think you've answered your own question here, and your views show the Holy Spirit is working in you. I don't think the answer is to drop out though, but to confess what you did. Confession is primarily a spiritual issue, and I think you will feel much better by doing so. I appreciate it's hard, but it will be much harder to continue with your academic/working life feeling that it is based on a lie. I know Jesus' blood covers our sins and our past is forgiven, but you are talking here about what is in the present and future. If you put this right now you are building a solid spiritual foundation for your future. It will be a real blessing.

Pray before you do so and ask the Lord to ensure that whatever happens is according to His will. You may want someone to pray with you and I have just prayed for you also. Remember also that we're all sinners; all of us have to go through times of difficulty/testing - you're not alone in that!

You've already taken a really good step by telling us on here, and by deciding not to cheat in the future. Well done! Be encouraged by that and remember that Jesus is with you every step of the way!

flipflop2234 · Feb 27, 2017

rebornfree said:
I think you've answered your own question here, and your views show the Holy Spirit is working in you. I don't think the answer is to drop out though, but to confess what you did. Confession is primarily a spiritual issue, and I think you will feel much better by doing so. I appreciate it's hard, but it will be much harder to continue with your academic/working life feeling that it is based on a lie. I know Jesus' blood covers our sins and our past is forgiven, but you are talking here about what is in the present and future. If you put this right now you are building a solid spiritual foundation for your future. It will be a real blessing.

Pray before you do so and ask the Lord to ensure that whatever happens is according to His will. You may want someone to pray with you and I have just prayed for you also. Remember also that we're all sinners; all of us have to go through times of difficulty/testing - you're not alone in that!

You've already taken a really good step by telling us on here, and by deciding not to cheat in the future. Well done! Be encouraged by that and remember that Jesus is with you every step of the way!

My parents were very mad when I brought this up and say that I should right this wrong by just being successful then giving back. What do you think

Near · Feb 27, 2017

flipflop2234 said:
My parents were very mad when I brought this up and say that I should right this wrong by just being successful then giving back. What do you think

I'm not sure if anyone asked but, what do you want to do?
It's really up to you in the end.
also, when is this thread going to die!!??
jk, I hope you find the answer, that's all i mean.

rebornfree · Feb 27, 2017

This is hard for you - you need to respect your parents, but I'm concerned that you will be building your future on a lie and that is bothering you. Are your parents Christians? If so could you pray with them about it? If not could your Christian brother pray with you? You need to find the Lord's guidance in this. My view is that the spiritual implications of not confessing are worse (i.e. lack of peace with the Lord) than the practical results of confessing. If your parents are not Christians then they may not see it that way.

I'm in the UK, so our education system is different, and I may not have followed your posts correctly. Can I just clarify: does your qualification include work on which you've cheated? Is so, my answer is the same, but I think it would be a good idea for you to talk to your church leader or church youth leader first. If, however, you have worked for your qualification and the cheating is nothing to do with it, but for earlier work then you may not need to confess.

MournfulWatcher · Feb 27, 2017

flipflop2234 said:
Hello, this is my first post on this forum so please forgive me if I format poorly. I truly don't know what to do here. To give you context, I am 18 and about to finish highschool. I have cheated plenty of times in the past whether it be a copied assignment here or a formula that was punched in my calculator before a quiz. Upon coming back to my faith (3-4 months ago) I haven't cheated much at all but I can't help feeling overwhelming guilt over cheating as if my diploma I will soon be handed has been tainted. I feel that if I accept this diploma and move onto college I will lie to everyone. I will lie to my highschool that I earned my grades. I will lie to my college that I earned my highschool graduation, and I will lie to my future employer that I was rightfully admitted into college. Seems like the only option is to drop out?? It seems too extreme but at the same time could be what I am called to do. I saw a similar post about this topic about a fellow who was feeling bad about cheating in college and someone responded with
You are committing willful sin, cheating, lying, stealing, having someone else lie for you and worst of all, praying to God, you are not a doctor or a heart specialist. You should stand up, and you did not earn your degree. You are well aware of it, and you want the Christians to feel sorry for you and sing Kumbaya, you need to not graduate. It is a lie. You have continued in this sin, from high school. I do not feel your sorrow. I hear your excuses and you wanting to get validated, to ease your conscience. When you go for a job interview, the lies will continue. Where does it end. True Repentance, is not only confession of sin, but restoration of the stolen property. In this case, your diploma is a lie and your spouse to be, your parents and yourself is still being manipulated. Just recently, we have had cases, where people have done the same exact thing, and 30 years later, other people have suffered for this seemingly simple, manipulation. I pray for you. it is not the end of the world. But you need to do the right thing. Your mind would be freed, by not accepting that paper. God is present in all these actions, and Christ is being shamed. Free yourself, by speaking the truth. Your whole life will be made much better, and you will have a testimony, for other kids. Be a radical for Christ. The fact that the Holy Spirit is convicting you and you did not remedy the situation, is the reason for your guilty conscience and lack lustre feeling. A Christian always acts on Conviction from the Holy Spirit, or else he will not continue to dwell in a willfull sinning and not repenting fully. Then you would be left up to the error of you ways and the consequences of your actions. What does it profit one, to gain the whole world and their soul is not right with Almighty God. One lie continues from High School then college. I hope you see the pattern here. It is not too late to make things right. Your choice."

This seems very harsh but I was wondering if it holds truth or not. At first I was sure I had to drop out but I'm sure I was dishonest at times in middle school, by this logic I would have to deny the dact that I was educated up to 8th grade! My parents and peers would be very surprised and upset with me if I gave it all up and even my christian brother who I have confided in says to just keep going and that I have been made clean by the blood of Jesus and not cheat again. I am at a loss guys. Please help a fellow christian brother for I have already cried out to Jesus and prayer and asked for forgiveness and guidance and now I call to all of you

As a fellow eighteen-year-old with OCD let me give you some advice...

You say you want to drop out because you feel guilty that you wouldn't be earning it, and that God wants you to confess. My question to you is, does this guilt originate from the Holy Spirit, or from your OCD?

Yes, in the beginning it comes from the Holy Spirit, since he's trying to tell you that you've done something wrong. When you repent and receive forgiveness, however, you continue to experience guilt, and feel that you have to do something to compensate for your wrong.

I have experienced prolonged guilt in the past, even after I've repented. This guilt causes me to react negatively, and I tried to make up for my wrongs (for example, avoiding whatever makes me feel guilty, giving into a compulsion to make the guilty feeling go away, having obsessive thoughts over what I could have done instead, etc). I would pray to be forgiven over and over, when I came to realize that this guilt that was driving me to "compensate" for my wrongs, was not coming from God. It was OCD, trapping me in a guilty cycle, keeping me from feeling free from my sins.

There is nothing you can do to make up for your sins. Jesus has forgiven you already. Your sin affected no one but yourself, so there isn't really anyone to apologize to. If you really feel the need, apologize to the people you cheated off of, but that could do more harm than good for you and others.

Strive to do better, pray when you feel tempted to cheat. But you have been forgiven. Your OCD may try to convince you otherwise, but you can't let it get the better of you. Dropping out of high school will not benefit you, your school, your future, or your family. It would be a pointless endeavor.

Meowzltov · Feb 27, 2017

flipflop2234 said:
I believe I learned the material and was for the most part just lazy.

Then I would go ahead and accept the diploma. "Go and cheat no more."

Meowzltov · Feb 27, 2017

flipflop2234 said:
I also scored very well on the standardized test for "college preparedness" (ACT)

Got it. Sounds like you were the gifted student that hated the boring busy work. College will be a whole lot more challenging. But it may be difficult that you have not developed the study habits that you'll need -- start off being extra strict with yourself. It's a lot easier to back off, than to rev up.

Meowzltov · Feb 27, 2017

flipflop2234 said:
I think I earned my admission into college but not necesarily my grade on psychology

Then go to your psychology teacher and discuss it.

Daniel Marsh · Feb 28, 2017

flipflop2234 said:
Hello, this is my first post on this forum so please forgive me if I format poorly. I truly don't know what to do here. To give you context, I am 18 and about to finish highschool. I have cheated plenty of times in the past whether it be a copied assignment here or a formula that was punched in my calculator before a quiz. Upon coming back to my faith (3-4 months ago) I haven't cheated much at all but I can't help feeling overwhelming guilt over cheating as if my diploma I will soon be handed has been tainted. I feel that if I accept this diploma and move onto college I will lie to everyone. I will lie to my highschool that I earned my grades. I will lie to my college that I earned my highschool graduation, and I will lie to my future employer that I was rightfully admitted into college. Seems like the only option is to drop out?? It seems too extreme but at the same time could be what I am called to do. I saw a similar post about this topic about a fellow who was feeling bad about cheating in college and someone responded with
You are committing willful sin, cheating, lying, stealing, having someone else lie for you and worst of all, praying to God, you are not a doctor or a heart specialist. You should stand up, and you did not earn your degree. You are well aware of it, and you want the Christians to feel sorry for you and sing Kumbaya, you need to not graduate. It is a lie. You have continued in this sin, from high school. I do not feel your sorrow. I hear your excuses and you wanting to get validated, to ease your conscience. When you go for a job interview, the lies will continue. Where does it end. True Repentance, is not only confession of sin, but restoration of the stolen property. In this case, your diploma is a lie and your spouse to be, your parents and yourself is still being manipulated. Just recently, we have had cases, where people have done the same exact thing, and 30 years later, other people have suffered for this seemingly simple, manipulation. I pray for you. it is not the end of the world. But you need to do the right thing. Your mind would be freed, by not accepting that paper. God is present in all these actions, and Christ is being shamed. Free yourself, by speaking the truth. Your whole life will be made much better, and you will have a testimony, for other kids. Be a radical for Christ. The fact that the Holy Spirit is convicting you and you did not remedy the situation, is the reason for your guilty conscience and lack lustre feeling. A Christian always acts on Conviction from the Holy Spirit, or else he will not continue to dwell in a willfull sinning and not repenting fully. Then you would be left up to the error of you ways and the consequences of your actions. What does it profit one, to gain the whole world and their soul is not right with Almighty God. One lie continues from High School then college. I hope you see the pattern here. It is not too late to make things right. Your choice."

This seems very harsh but I was wondering if it holds truth or not. At first I was sure I had to drop out but I'm sure I was dishonest at times in middle school, by this logic I would have to deny the dact that I was educated up to 8th grade! My parents and peers would be very surprised and upset with me if I gave it all up and even my christian brother who I have confided in says to just keep going and that I have been made clean by the blood of Jesus and not cheat again. I am at a loss guys. Please help a fellow christian brother for I have already cried out to Jesus and prayer and asked for forgiveness and guidance and now I call to all of you

Only those whom you sinned against can forgive you. It is great your consequence is alive. I John 1:8-10 says if you confess those sins to God, then you are forgiven. I would suggest simply talking over with your pastor and a guidance counselor. When you get to College, work with other Christians to form a circle or group of accountability. It would be best to study together as a group. Those who work together like that and do volunteer work as a group is what many good paying Employers are looking for.

Also, handle your brand name on LinkedIn to make your information readily available to future Employers. Also, treat all Social Media you are on as a Brand Name. Everything you post online will need to keep in mind that your are selling yourself to future Employers. Anyone linking to your Social Media as a friend should be weighed carefully because they can become an unwanted reflection.

10 Social Media Branding Strategies | Sprout Social
Chapter 4: Social Media and Friendships
14-year-old Entrepreneur to Host First Social Media Conference for Teenagers in San Francisco on April 29, 2017

ebedmelech · Feb 28, 2017

flipflop2234 said:
Yes I did very well on the ACT without cheating. I got a 29 composite score

So now you can move on from this. You obviously learned well...and you should realize you don't have to cheat.

Repent to Christ for your cheating and do your own work from here on. You'll be more confident to knowing you move forward on your own effort!

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