Praying for answers = cheating?

[1137]

I personally would be ****** cause I used to do that exact thing all the time, and more often than not it worked lol. Sometimes I would pray, and sometimes I would try to "intuitize" the answers while meditating on my 3rd eye chakra. Usually it would be a little combination of both, but I cant count how many times I passed tests I had no business passing using this approach lol.

You wouldn't consider it cheating? Maybe not meditation because it's internal, but requesting answers externally seems to fit. The student is specifically praying.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

It could be the mindset that God is above the law. Perhaps if god kills or gives an answer then there's nothing to do. We can't affect god, he makes his own choices. If he chooses to kill or help cheat then nothing can be done because god cant be questioned?

But if a murderer prays to God to steady his gun and - with God's help, presumably - kills his victim with a one in a million shot, we still convict the shooter. We don't say "it was God's will, so no charges."

 

[1137]

But if a murderer prays to God to steady his gun and - with God's help, presumably - kills his victim with a one in a million shot, we still convict the shooter. We don't say "it was God's will, so no charges."

Good point. So what explains the gap in reasoning where asking God for answers is not cheating?

 

[1137]

Oh my, now we're deep enough to question objective morality.
I don't think faking answers on a test is a problem, in and of itself. Say you have the best grasp of the material in your class. You also have invented some eyeglasses that let you read the papers of the six nearest students. You never even read a question on the test, you just take the five most likely correct answers and circle those. You have a great understanding of the subject and you get a perfect score without reading the test.

I don't care. You get the material and that is what matters. The reason cheating is a problem is that people who don't grasp the material are always the ones who do it. Us smart people don't do it because we find it easier to do the test ourselves.
It is when you don't know your stuff, but pretend that you do that the trouble comes.

Tom

This is more off topic than not.

 

[columbus]

I personally would be ****** cause I used to do that exact thing all the time, and more often than not it worked lol. Sometimes I would pray, and sometimes I would try to "intuitize" the answers while meditating on my 3rd eye chakra. Usually it would be a little combination of both, but I cant count how many times I passed tests I had no business passing using this approach lol.

I look at the state of my country and ask, "Is grade inflation a good thing?"

Tom

 

[InChrist]

I think one important point being missed is that God does not condone or help someone commit wrong-doing, such as cheating or murdering someone. So praying for help to use a murder weapon is outside God's will and would not be answered. Praying during a test is not about asking God to miraculously supply answers that one has not put any effort into studying to learn for themselves. I think when a Christian prays during a test or any other endeavor it is for clarity of mind and recall of the information /skill they have already learned... not to receive the answers as in the manner of cheating.

 

[1137]

I think one important point being missed is that God does not condone or help someone commit wrong-doing, such as cheating or murdering someone. So praying for help to use a murder weapon is outside God's will and would not be answered. Praying during a test is not about asking God to miraculously supply answers that one has not put any effort into studying to learn for themselves. I think when a Christian prays during a test or any other endeavor it is for clarity of mind and recall of the information /skill they have already learned... not to receive the answers as in the manner of cheating.

God isn't the important point. The individual's intention is the important point.

 

[nash8]

You wouldn't consider it cheating? Maybe not meditation because it's internal, but requesting answers externally seems to fit. The student is specifically praying.

Hell no, from my Panenthiestic viewpoint, me and God are both one and the same. I would actually consider the meditation more cheating than the prayer. From my perspective, I am opening up my mind so that the universe will provide me with the answers, and since the universe=God from my perspective, I would be cheating "better" using meditation than by just asking.

I look at the state of my country and ask, "Is grade inflation a good thing?"

Tom

Grade inflation... the silent killer.

 

[1137]

Hell no, from my Panenthiestic viewpoint, me and God are both one and the same. I would actually consider the meditation more cheating than the prayer. From my perspective, I am opening up my mind so that the universe will provide me with the answers, and since the universe=God from my perspective, I would be cheating "better" using meditation than by just asking.

Then you wouldn't be cheating, we aren't talking about a pantheist. We are talking about someone who'd believe in a monotheistic god and ask for help. You would not do this.

 

[nash8]

God isn't the important point. The individual's intention is the important point.

You don't get charged with murder, if you attempt to kill someone. He didn't even give the kid a chance to see if it worked. At least he could have let the kid finish, then if he got a good grade, he coulda given him a zero for cheating... that would have been really funny.

 

[Mycroft]

A professor is overseeing the final for his philosophy of religion class. He notices that one of his students has their pen down, they have their hands over their face, and they are not paying attention to the test in any recognizable way. He goes to the student and asks if the student is ok. The student says, "yes sir, I was simply praying to God to help me answer the question". The professor takes the test and rips in half. In horror, the student exclaims, " why did you do that?!" The professor responds that, "asking for help on tests is cheating, and cheating is an automatic zero."

Thoughts? Reactions? Discussion?

Edit: This is a paraphrased example from "A Brief History of the Paradox" by Roy Sorensen

Not really. Assuming prayer is real:

If you don't get an answer, then it was not part of god's plan and the prayer was futile.

If you do get an answer, then it was part of his plan and can't be cheating,

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Good point. So what explains the gap in reasoning where asking God for answers is not cheating?

I don't know. It seems to go against the idea that prayer shoukd be expected to be effective.

Although... one other possibility: whether prayer-answering gods exist or not, praying for answers during the exam is likely to be no more effective than praying for answers before the exam, which would be undetectable to the proctors and therefore unpunishable. Maybe praying isn't considered to confer a special benefit, since anyone could do it without getting caught.

 

[BSM1]

A professor is overseeing the final for his philosophy of religion class. He notices that one of his students has their pen down, they have their hands over their face, and they are not paying attention to the test in any recognizable way. He goes to the student and asks if the student is ok. The student says, "yes sir, I was simply praying to God to help me answer the question". The professor takes the test and rips in half. In horror, the student exclaims, " why did you do that?!" The professor responds that, "asking for help on tests is cheating, and cheating is an automatic zero."

Thoughts? Reactions? Discussion?

Edit: This is a paraphrased example from "A Brief History of the Paradox" by Roy Sorensen

Maybe this was God's answer. Maybe this student should revisit the commandment about taking God's name in vain. I would contend that asking a Higher Power for help in something I should have prepared for is the height of vanity.

 

[George-ananda]

A professor is overseeing the final for his philosophy of religion class. He notices that one of his students has their pen down, they have their hands over their face, and they are not paying attention to the test in any recognizable way. He goes to the student and asks if the student is ok. The student says, "yes sir, I was simply praying to God to help me answer the question". The professor takes the test and rips in half. In horror, the student exclaims, " why did you do that?!" The professor responds that, "asking for help on tests is cheating, and cheating is an automatic zero."

Thoughts? Reactions? Discussion?

Edit: This is a paraphrased example from "A Brief History of the Paradox" by Roy Sorensen

Ha..Ha...to the story.

In non-dualism God is within us so it wouldn't be cheating.

 

[metis]

This sort of reminds me of a story a priest at my wife's church said some years ago:

Jesus and the apostles were walking from one village to another, but it had rained hard the night before. They came across a man who has his donkey stuck in the mud, and who was cursing profusely, but got embarrassed for his talk when he saw Jesus. He asked Jesus if he would help, and he and Jesus and the apostles were able to get the donkey out.

They went further along the path and ran across another man who had his donkey stuck, and this man was on the side of the road praying that God would get the donkey out. Jesus just shook his head in disgust and moved on.

The apostles were confused, so Peter asked "Jesus, why did did you help the first man but not the second?". Jesus responded "Because the first man was willing to help, but the last man wanted the Father to do all the work".

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

You don't get charged with murder, if you attempt to kill someone.

No, you get charged with attempted murder.

If I call the voice mail for someone I think is a hit man and leave a message saying "I want you to kill ______. I'll give you $100,000 if you do it. Let me know when it's done and I'll get you the money" then I've committed attempted murder. And it would still be attempted murder if the person whose voice mail I called isn't actually a hit man, has no idea what I'm talking about, and would never go through with the murder.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Not really. Assuming prayer is real:

If you don't get an answer, then it was not part of god's plan and the prayer was futile.

If you do get an answer, then it was part of his plan and can't be cheating,

What if the prayer was to Satan or some other deity that wouldn't be assumed to necessarily be good?

 

[Sees]

Getting into the business of thought-crimes

 

[DawudTalut]

A professor is overseeing the final for his philosophy of religion class. He notices that one of his students has their pen down, they have their hands over their face, and they are not paying attention to the test in any recognizable way. He goes to the student and asks if the student is ok. The student says, "yes sir, I was simply praying to God to help me answer the question". The professor takes the test and rips in half. In horror, the student exclaims, " why did you do that?!" The professor responds that, "asking for help on tests is cheating, and cheating is an automatic zero."

Thoughts? Reactions? Discussion?

Edit: This is a paraphrased example from "A Brief History of the Paradox" by Roy Sorensen

Peace be on you.

The professor need reforms.
1-Why did prof intervened the student? The instant he talked (*) to student, he disturbed / offered some (any) kind of help.

2-Prof is not a nurse....If student was not well, he/she could have told the prof. by itself.

3-Prof. should have known that what student was doing was a process within student's body/soul and no physical help was sought.

4- Cut prof.'s one day salary.

5- Give the student another chance.

6- The prof should know that prayer is the part of philosophy of religion.

===
(*) EDIT: "He (prof.) goes to the student and asks if the student is ok."

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Getting into the business of thought-crimes

No more than other crimes that we have already. What's the practical difference between praying to God for the answer and texting a friend for the answer? Not intent; only the likelihood of success, AFAICT.