I didn't realize how much of a problem academic cheating is today—until recently.

In a significantly challenging class, someone asked me how a quiz had gone in the lab session. I have the lab before the lecture, while some have it afterward. I told the group of people next to me that it wasn't too bad and naively continued answering their questions about what was on the quiz.

Later one of the girls took a test a day early because she had to be gone on quiz day. She gave all the answers to the group. It wasn't until that day that I realized I'd helped them cheat…and now they were trying to help me cheat!

Everybody does it. It's a victimless crime. It doesn't hurt anyone. It's no big deal. Those are a few of the rationales behind academic cheating today.

The Center for Academic Integrity of the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University reported in its 2005 findings:

• On most campuses 70 percent of students admit to some cheating.
• 77 percent of students believe some cheating is not a serious issue.
• Over 70 percent of public and parochial high school respondents admit to some serious test cheating and over 60 percent admitted plagiarism (www.academicintegrity.org/cai_research.asp).

Many of these students will be the leaders of America in the future. Similar findings exist for students in other nations. These studies confirm that many in our society today are cheaters. However, as vertical thinkers, we reach for a different standard. We do our best to strive to be like God, not like this world (1 John 2:15-16).

Cheating is deceitful. It represents someone else's work as your own. It claims that you know the answers because of your own hard work and study.

Deceit and false representation are not qualities of God's character. The Ninth Commandment tells us not to lie and Revelation tells us liars will not be in God's Kingdom (Exodus 20:16; Revelation 22:15). Proverbs 12:5 adds, "The thoughts of the righteous are right, but the counsels of the wicked are deceitful." The world may accept cheating as okay, but we shouldn't!

I ignored the quiz answers my classmates gave me that day, studied on my own and got a B on the quiz. But I'd rather have an honest B than a deceitful A any day. While taking the quiz I prayed that God would help me do my best. I was happy with my B, and I think God was happy with my honesty.

Since then my classmates don't ask me for help anymore, and they don't offer any to me either. That's okay. I've learned that I don't need to cheat to do well. I have all the help I need in Christ. Philippians 4:13 reminds us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. You can learn more about honesty by downloading or requesting your free copy of Transforming Your Life.

Cheating appears to help in the short term, but if you do it, you're cheating other students, disobeying God and cheating yourself. You're cheating yourself out of the wonderful feeling of knowing you did it on your own. With hard work, study and God's help, you can do well—without the weight of a bad conscience that comes from the falsehood and deceit of cheating. VT