Sin to write the "correct" answer on a Test?

[HughThomas]

This is the totally wrong place to ask such a question.

You did not do anything wrong. You answered a question. Your professor did not do anything wrong. He/she asked a question.

Asking and answering questions can not possibly be construed as sins.

Sleep with a clean conscience…

 

[Caesar517]

Asking and answering questions can not possibly be construed as sins.

Where did you get that idea?

Peter denied Christ three times. He was answering a question.

 

[Lee_M]

This is the totally wrong place to ask such a question.

You did not do anything wrong. You answered a question. Your professor did not do anything wrong. He/she asked a question.

Asking and answering questions can not possibly be construed as sins.

Sleep with a clean conscience…

Example:

Question: Do you believe abortion is morally right?

Answer: I believe abortion is morally right.

This is a question and answer. The answer is sinful whether it was truthfully answered or a lie. Either way, the person who answered committs a sin.

 

[HughThomas]

You probably believe that thought of the word ‘abortion’ is a sin. Please cite for me the scripture referring to the sin of abortion, because I think I missed it.

You believe that I am a sinner, simply because I am able to think independently.

Regards,

Hugh

 

[Lee_M]

You probably believe that thought of the word ‘abortion’ is a sin. Please cite for me the scripture referring to the sin of abortion, because I think I missed it.

You believe that I am a sinner, simply because I am able to think independently.

Regards,

Hugh

I am speaking of the term abortion that most people refer to. The deliberate murder of babies. I know the word abortion means other things, but I’m sure you knew what I was talking about. As far as scripture goes, “Thou shall not murder” should be obvious.

Yes, I do believe that you are a sinner if you write that medical abortions are morally acceptable. But I don’t have to answer for your sins. That responsibility lies with yourself.

 

[HughThomas]

Gosh, now that you put it that way…‘thou shall not murder’…

It is funny that Catholic’s typically use the word ‘kill’ as opposed to ‘murder’. Why is that? Perhaps it is that some people (adults and children) have been ‘killed’ in the name of God. Murder is simply defined as unjustifiable killing. So, therefore, you must believe that some killing is acceptable as you are only opposed to ‘murder’ in the sinning department. By the way, is that only the ‘murder of innocent unborn children’ which offends you?

Regards,

Hugh

 

[Lee_M]

Gosh, now that you put it that way…‘thou shall not murder’…

It is funny that Catholic’s typically use the word ‘kill’ as opposed to ‘murder’. Why is that? Perhaps it is that some people (adults and children) have been ‘killed’ in the name of God. Murder is simply defined as unjustifiable killing. So, therefore, you must believe that some killing is acceptable as you are only opposed to ‘murder’ in the sinning department. By the way, is that only the ‘murder of innocent unborn children’ which offends you?

Regards,

Hugh

Why are you trying to hijack the thread? Are you a troll?

Killing in self defense or defense of another person is justifiable. Murder of anyone offends me. And the correct interpretation of the sixth commandment is “You shall not murder”.

 

[LilyM]

Gosh, now that you put it that way…‘thou shall not murder’…

It is funny that Catholic’s typically use the word ‘kill’ as opposed to ‘murder’. Why is that? Perhaps it is that some people (adults and children) have been ‘killed’ in the name of God. Murder is simply defined as unjustifiable killing. So, therefore, you must believe that some killing is acceptable as you are only opposed to ‘murder’ in the sinning department. By the way, is that only the ‘murder of innocent unborn children’ which offends you?

Regards,

Hugh

Well this Catholic doesn’t care which word you use - ‘kill’ or ‘murder’ - whatever word you use it’s unjustifiable to put babes to an untimely death in the womb.

Why would anyone who has a brain NOT be fine with that which is morally acceptable and appalled by that which is not?

 

[Starwynd]

You might want to try a phrase like “the most commonly accepted belief is…” then provide the expected answer.

I did that a few times and still got good grades on the test even though the teacher once gave me detention for doing that.

 

[Newbie2]

In an essay, a student could write a disclaimer to demonstrate he understands the material that the instuctor presented in class. Include the phrase, "According to Prof. ____", then answer what the teacher taught, sighting whatever philosophical principles he thinks justifies immorality. That doesn’t make an immoral opinion correct, but you might be able to correctly summarize a wrong opinon.

If it’s an essay, yes, something like it, perhaps also adding that “However, although not taught in this class…”

As has been said, if he can’t slam you for a wrong answer if you put it in those terms.

 

[Lujack]

Based on the tenor of this thread (and the fact that your professor seemed to enjoy debating you), he would probably be disappointed that you didn’t take a strong stance. It seems to me that the best course would have been to show, somehow, that you had a strong understanding of the material while stating your own opinion, instead of bowing to what you thought the professor wanted to hear.

My one history professor told us that “If you agree with me, you tread into very dangerous waters. I know my position better than anybody else, and so I’ll probably grade it more harshly.”

 

[EvelynEVF]

I don’t know how much time you had to write your essay, but it is also a decent option to write to answers. One “official” to be graded, and the other what you really believe, so that the prof knows and has a chance to see those arguments.

When I did that, the prof was good with it, since it was more effort on my part and not his.

 

[jmcrae]

Would it technically be a sin to write that it would be ok to force contraception in certain situations(women who drink alcohol during pregnancy) or that selling human eggs and sperm is morally justifiable on tests?

No. It could fly back into your face some day, when you are saying, “But I have always believed that this is wrong” in a public venue, perhaps while running for office, or seeking a job at the office of the Bishop.

Explaining that you only wrote the opposite in order to get a good grade won’t win you any points, either - not with the public, or with the Bishop.

ETA: I see that you framed your answer as not being your personal opinion - good!

 

[Zooey]

In an essay, a student could write a disclaimer to demonstrate he understands the material that the instuctor presented in class. Include the phrase, "According to Prof. ____", then answer what the teacher taught, sighting whatever philosophical principles he thinks justifies immorality. That doesn’t make an immoral opinion correct, but you might be able to correctly summarize a wrong opinon.

I actually have been in this position, in a theology class with a Baptist teacher . I did exactly this, & he wrote me a nice little note saying that he appreciated my honesty, and that he also was pleased to see that I was paying close enough attention to realize the difference between his point of view & mine.
I said on the paper, “I know that this is the answer you want me to give” & wrote the answer from** his** point of view…and followed it with a note saying, “but this is what I understand to be the truth” and wrote the answer from my point of view.
Now. teachers can be unreasonable. And if this should happen, I would say, that it is still better than to just ignore the fact that a teacher is trying to tell students what to believe.

PS: I noticed that you said that the teacher seemed not to be open to other ideas, & that he is getting more forgetful…He may be getting some early stage of dementia. In a case like that, it is sometimes necessary to make allowances for the fact. Not that I would just go along with it, but someone who is not always entirely rational can be hard enough to deal with, when you aren’t disagreeing with him… That would be an even harder case, & I really don’t know what would be the best thing to do…Tell someone in authority that the teacher isn’t letting you express your own beliefs, maybe. (??)

 

[Jeanne_dArc]

A good route to go might be to do what zooey said.

I took a Catholic Theology course and the professor said for all of his test to answer the questions as if they all said "The Catholic Church teaches, etc.) He even said that if you really wanted you could write that on top of the test. (There were some people who weren’t Catholic in the class, and the professor didn’t want them to go against their consciousnesses just to get an better grade.)

Anyway, maybe ask the professor if it’s ok to write at the top of the test something to the effect of “all answers are written according to the information presented in [insert name of the class] & are not necessarily my personal opinion.”

 

[chevalier]

A good route to go might be to do what zooey said.

I took a Catholic Theology course and the professor said for all of his test to answer the questions as if they all said "The Catholic Church teaches, etc.) He even said that if you really wanted you could write that on top of the test. (There were some people who weren’t Catholic in the class, and the professor didn’t want them to go against their consciousnesses just to get an better grade.)

Anyway, maybe ask the professor if it’s ok to write at the top of the test something to the effect of “all answers are written according to the information presented in [insert name of the class] & are not necessarily my personal opinion.”

That’s the most pleasing advice to me.

Most good profs are able to appreciate thinking independently and having an opinion. Some even force students to disagree or at least think over something. Many are able to take it gracefully when you disagree. I once got an A for that. He’s my promoter for the Ph.D. thesis now. However, it wasn’t a moral matter, it was interpretation of a constitutional right in criminal proceedings. But I also had a guy who took it really bad when I pointed out that the head of his chair (he was an adjunct) presented a different opinion in his book and I was going by the latter one. I ended up failing and resitting, for that and other factors - how far including my own fault in lack of knowledge or understanding I do no not know. On the resit I got an A from one of the most feared examiners ever. By contrast, the one who failed me was one of the easiest ones. I also got my A in philosophy of law for telling the examiner that in my view the natural law never changed its content, while he was an adherent of the concept of natural law with alternating content theory. He also sometimes got the other students in line when they proposed an outcome similar to his own, while I proposed a contrary one, but my argument was stronger than theirs and theirs contained flaws. One of the best guys I’ve met. I learnt a lot from him - not in terms of the outcome but the way you arrive at it and the ways of thinking. Plus, he was always sincere and correct when narrating a position he didn’t agree with. Disagreeable parts only started when he got to arguing.

In this kind of situations, what seems wrong to me is to pretend you believe something that you don’t, to support and affirm an immoral position. As long as you are asked what the material said, you don’t necessarily do wrong by not adding a disclaimer that you disagree. But if you are asked what you believe or if beliefs are being construed as facts, then it’s better to stand up and get the flak.

And if you can, pick an examiner that you know won’t force his views on you. That’s not always possible. Traditional universities may offer that option, but if the core of the subject is a small class rather than a big lecture, then probably the teacher is the examiner as well, which means no picking. Or, you can try and opt for an oral exam. Or, if written, put a disclaimer where needed. And remember you can appeal grades (unless you cannot). I’m currently taking my Minister of Justice (I’m not American) to the court for forcing opinions in a professional exam for bar trainee admission and I’m giving him an awful lot of litigation. I wrote over 100 pages when appealing from the commission to him and I’m on the 13th page of a lawsuit (complaint against his decision) even before he has issued it, because I know what he will write there. Now, I don’t advocate litigousness, but professors and other examiners are not above the law and the law isn’t always immune to logic, especially when you’re arguing interpretations. You may be able to appeal the grade within the school or at least vindicate the right to use disclaimers or even have the examiner use them.

 

[Suzanmo]

Sam is a 15 yr child adopted to another family. His biological mother heavily drank during her pregnancy with Sam. In consequence, **Sam has had 55 surgeries to correct the many problems which fetal alcohol syndrome has done to his body.
**
After Sam was born, his biological mother went on to have 9 more children with one only surviving to this day, and has similar problems compared to Sam. Even after aggressive counseling and a detox program, Sam’s mother continued to have children while drinking. Would it had been prudent for society to sterilize or place Sam’s mother on contraceptives to prevent the births? Use the principles we learned to explain your reasoning.

.

Don’t you have any common sense you people?
A person like Sam’s mother should definitely be sterilized.
She has already caused enough damage to society and her own children with her drinking problems.
Yeah, that’s all we need more parents like her…

 

[larry85704]

Consider the following situations, they happen all the time:

1. The teacher is teaching an accepted theory that the student does not agree with.
2. The teacher is just wrong.
3. The student is just wrong.
4. The student believes an accepted theory contrary to what is being taught.
5. The professor is correct, the student has no problems with it.

Teachers and students can simply be wrong. If the teacher and student are any good, the teacher or student should be able to see the error in their thinking. This takes into account 2 and 3.

1 and 4 probably apply to the OP’s situation. I think the best way to go in these situations is to present both theories, and test that the student knows both theories. As you go from being a student to being a professional you are expected to practice your craft, not something you personally believe.

If you believe that practicing your craft will cause you to sin then you should see a priest and make sure you are correct. I suppose, if I had to do something sinful as part of my job I wouldn’t do that job. On one hand, you can’t be a Catholic and a hooker, can you? Oops, I think you can, if you are willing to live a life of sin. Darn it, there have been Catholic teachings that say it is ok to be a hooker, under certain conditions.

As far as the questions on the test are concerned, consider this. We don’t live in a Catholic country. The only Catholic country might be the Vatican. Generally speaking, Catholics are committing a sin if they do not obey the laws of the country they are living it. God gives everyone free will. He does not take away your right to totally screw up you life. You may not take away the right of someone you know to totally screw up their life. You can try, but ultimately, if they really want to mess up they will. Some of the ways we have to live is dictated by societies rules, or the rules of our employer. We are morally bound to live within the rules of society even if we do not believe they are right.

Now that doesn’t mean we have to get an abortion, it means we cannot prevent someone from getting one. It means that if we are working with women that are pregnant we must be able to discuss abortion if they request the information and we must do the best we can to give them accurate information. Accurate information should include information from more than one accepted theory, if that exists. Forgetting about abortion, I think most of the time we do not get accurate and complete information when we are trying to decide something.

 

[jmcrae]

Don’t you have any common sense you people?
A person like Sam’s mother should definitely be sterilized.
She has already caused enough damage to society and her own children with her drinking problems.
Yeah, that’s all we need more parents like her…

Did you know that Ludwig van Beethoven was the ninth child of an alcoholic woman who had syphilis?

If you would have sterilized his mother, are you willing to throw out every piece of music you own that could have been influenced in any way by the work of Beethoven? (Jazz, Rock and Roll, country and western, pop, hip-hop, and of course any classical music that was written by him or any of his contemporaries and students, etc.)

 

[Suzanmo]

Did you know that Ludwig van Beethoven was the ninth child of an alcoholic woman who had syphilis?

His father was an alcoholic and his mother died of tuberclosis.

If you would have sterilized his mother…

I don’t have a time machine yet.