Would you be more upset with your teenager if you caught them smoking or cheating?

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That’s a wierd place where you live friend.

P.S. Quit smoking! We would be so much happier and we’d work so much better if you quit putting all that smoke inside us! For our sake… please quit!!

Love,
Your lungs.
 
carol marie:
That’s a wierd place where you live friend.

P.S. Quit smoking! We would be so much happier and we’d work so much better if you quit putting all that smoke inside us! For our sake… please quit!!

Love,
Your lungs.
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If you were talking to me, then you don’t know the half of it: Eugene is the most backward place I have ever lived in. For the people in Eugene: they will only tolerate diversity if it’s a perversity.

BTW—I don’t smoke–I was just goofing around earlier. I never have smoked. Probably I never will. But I can recognize government and social oppresion when I see it, so I sympathize with smokers.

I can defend smokers without being one: just like I can critisize the public school system even though I work there. I am able to detach my opinions and my feelings from my particular circumstances.
 
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cove:
You don’t think that abusing ones own body is not jepordizing ones immortal soul??? I believe to damage our bodies by falling into addictive behaviors that jepordize our lives is just as evil. Especially, if we know that they can be fatal. I believe suicide is a mortal sin. As far as I am concerned addictions like alchol/drug abuse including cigarette smoking are a slow suicide. I had a loved one who eventually died from this type of bodily abuse.

Cheating on a test only hurts the person who has cheated. When someone abuses addictive substances like nicotine they are not only hurting themselves but there loved ones who have to deal with the damaging effects that their loved one is suffering. Smoking cigarettes also puts other peoples health at risk.

If we are going to call one of these (cheating, smoking) evil I would have to say smoking. Smoking can lead to other behaviors that damage our bodies and yes seperate us from God.

From the moment my babies were born their health has been my utmost concern. All other aspects of their growing and learning and character developing depends on a healthy mind and body. I can fix most anything concerning their development. But, for them to act in a way that hurts them physically. That to me is much more worrisome as a parent. If they die from abusing their bodies then all that I have done for them is in vain.

As I said before, Cheating won’t kill you. Smoking can kill you or greatly reduce your quality of life.
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You are assuming immoderation in tobacco use which would be sinful in that case, but it is not in and of itself sinful. Cheating is in and of itself sinful.
 
Scott Waddell:
You are assuming immoderation in tobacco use which would be sinful in that case, but it is not in and of itself sinful. Cheating is in and of itself sinful.
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I just want to emphasis that the question asked was “would you be more “upset” with your teenager if you caught them smoking or cheating?” It does not ask if one is more “sinful” then the other.

Although I still choose smoking as my answer I can understand others points of view.

Peace
 
I never did comment on the article which I find to be a smoker being defensive towards a society that has turned against him and his foul habit.

This is a quote from his article:

“I smoke a pipe and cigar, and I am amazed at the certitude and chutzpah in the 5-year-olds who have visited my home who confidently walked over to me to tell me I shouldn’t smoke! Had they seen me drinking alcohol, as children regularly see adults do, it would never occur to them to say such a thing.”

I guess 5 year olds having more sense then him is reason to be defensive. Poor guy. What can I say? “Out of the mouths of babes”. Thank God children as young as 5 are getting the message.

I, also, don’t think that society makes cigarette smoking more immoral then drinking. That is absurd. I guess many people still don’t get it. They don’t see the connection between the large tobacco industry lying about and ignoring the evidence against smoking for so many years so that they could profit from others addiction (an example of cheating, btw). They still do. But, at least now people are more informed. Our children will be less likely to pick up this dangerous habit. They, also, are more likely to not drink and drive in this day and age or drink at all.

Quote from article “You are another American led to believe that healthy and decent are synonymous.”

Why shouldn’t they be? Why can’t you believe in both?

As far as I am concerned smoking is cheating. You are cheating yourself out of a clean and healthy life. You are cheating your loved ones. When I think of the money my parents spent on cigarettes. Money that could have gone towards higher education for their children. Money that should have been spent on fixing our house or taking us on a vacation once in awhile. When I picture my father lying in a hospital bed dying from the effects of smoking for so many years, I can say that I felt “cheated”.

This guy is just sharing “his” moral spin on life. But, he can only speak for himself.
 
Smoking. No question. I am so anti-smoking - expensive, kills you, kills others - secondhand, etc. that I would flip if my kids ever smoked. Not that I’m pro-cheating either… it’s just that I take every opportunity to point out to my kids that smoking is stupid & gross that I’d be shocked if I found out they smoked. I guess I look at it this way… cheating is something everybody does - it’s NOT right and hopefully they’d feel so guilty they wouldn’t do it again but smoking can lead to all kinds of bad lifestyle choices… drinking, drugs etc. Plus it’s skinky.
 
The point of the hypothetical is that parents put more emphasis on physical health then on moral development. My FIL is a professor and when a student is caught cheating, he gives them a D. It does as much damage as an F, and if the student complains, he ask if they would rather be reported to the Dead for cheating.
 
Its funny that this question appears because I just caught my 13 yr old dd cheating. She was showing me a bump near her privates, when I saw something written just above where her shorts end. I promptly asked her if she was cheating on a test today and she told me yes. I then asked her if she knew that it was a sin to cheat. She responded no. The fact that she didn’t try to lie to me made me feel a little better. I then counseled her on the seriousness of cheating. As for smoking, she begged for me for years to quit and I finally did 1 yr 10 months ago, so I don’t think smoking is an issue for her. Cheating really made me mad, but smoking would definitely perplex me.
 
Cheating would bother me more. I would be angry about smoking, sure, but I know that a lot of teenagers try it just because their friends do. Most of my friends did, and not many of them took it up permanently.

However cheating would indicate to me that I had failed somewhere when teaching my child right from wrong- cheating transcends so many of the commandments: lying, stealing, coveting your neighbor’s answers, etc.
 
 
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bapcathluth:
I chose smoking. I smoked and had a very hard time quitting. I quit and quit again. I have now been smoke free for two years, but it hasn’t been easy. It is very addictive and dangerous.
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And cheating is not addictive? Dishonesty with big things starts with dishonesty with little things. No one wakes up and decides to commit a mortal sin, no, one wakes up and decides to commit a venial sin. One does the same another day, and on and on and soon enough it’s a habit that leads to mortal sin.

Has anybody heard about a Mafia boss being an honest and upright man until the eve of the “families” proclaiming him the Cappo?
 
carol marie:
Smoking. No question. I am so anti-smoking - expensive, kills you, kills others - secondhand, etc. that I would flip if my kids ever smoked. Not that I’m pro-cheating either… it’s just that I take every opportunity to point out to my kids that smoking is stupid & gross that I’d be shocked if I found out they smoked. I guess I look at it this way… cheating is something everybody does - it’s NOT right and hopefully they’d feel so guilty they wouldn’t do it again but smoking can lead to all kinds of bad lifestyle choices… drinking, drugs etc. Plus it’s skinky.
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If your kid is 18 or over, then smoking is perfectly legal and moral for them. Cheating NEVER is. Cheating destroys the soul…smoking has been rumored to damage the lungs, but I think the jury is still out on that one.
 
dealt with both, and a lot more besides. smoking definitely, it kills, and it is addictive.
 
I did some of both as a young person, and either way you cheat yourself. Physically the smoking kills, but mentally cheating sets you up to be deceitful. I don’t think there is a winner in you choices.
 
Wow! I voted more disappointed if I caught my kids cheating for many of the above posted reasons. Cheating is a moral flaw that can send them to hell. Smoking can just send them to heaven sooner than I would like smelling like hell.

I asked my kids and their friend. All said smoking. Wow. I have some work to do.
 
Depends on the test. In a fair system, cheating on a test would upset me more. But if the teacher had unrealistic requirements or demanded kids to know things he hadn’t taught, I would surely rather go to him for a manly conversation than have my kid cheat. Still, smoking would upset me more. Of course, both are things that need to be done away with.

Grasping a wider meaning of cheating for a while, I would have to say that perhaps cheating would be more upsetting. Cheating as a general attitude towards life and people. Cheating on tests, cheating in romantic relationships, not returning overchange, giving false personals, preparing fake IDs for clubbing, faking interest and flirting to get ahead in life, lying as a way of getting out of uncomfortable situations… etc etc.
 
The reason that I chose smoking is that it harms more then the person that does the deed. It has the potential of harming future generations (see the scientific data just released).:banghead:

Also, I am highly reactive to second-hand smoke and I feel that the use of this product is showing how little people feel responsible for one another. :hmmm:
 
I chose cheating…
I know the question was posed, which would make me more upset - however I have to take into consideration which one of the two I feel is more sinful. I really feel, especially dealing with my kids, that I have to look to God first in order to make the best decisions for them and to help guide my reactions to their decisions.
I feel like a smoking issue I could work with - patches, gum or going to the Dr. for help…cheating, I really feel, would be personality flaw that would effect so many facets of their lives that I don’t know what I could really do about it…except pray!
 
Well to jump on the dead thread bandwagon it’s a easy choice to make.

Cheating.
 
I chose smoking, simply because I know what a dreadful addiction it is, and wouldn’t want it to become a habit for anyone.

That being said, Prager raises some interesting points.

But, it’s not realy an either/or question is it? Or it least shouldn’t be.

DustinsDad
 
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