Cheating is Okay as Long as it Doesn't Affect the Outcome

Imagine this: 

A high school student is taking a test, and has a couple of the answers written on her hand. The teacher gains knowledge of this cheating after the tests have already been graded. Instead of making her retake the test, or giving her an automatic 0 on the test, the teacher simply states "she would have passed even if she hadn't cheated on a couple of the answers."

You're playing a high stakes game of poker with a group of friends. After the game is over, an ace falls from the sleeve of a player who had walked away with most of the money at the table. The other friends shrug their shoulders. "He's a good player. He would have cleaned us out even if he hadn't cheated." 

This is what we're teaching...

Lately, there has been a lot of talk about the AFC championship game, in which the Patriots had a huge win over the Colts. Somewhere between when the Patriot's footballs were inspected a couple hours before the game to half-time, 11 of the 12 balls had been deflated a significant amount. Deflated balls theoretically make the ball a little easier to handle. In simpler terms - they cheated.

And Patriot fans, and sports commentators, have made it quite clear that this had no impact on the end result of the game. The Patriots still would have won.

In simpler terms, they are telling everyone that integrity doesn't matter. They're telling everyone - including our children - that cheating is fine, so long as you're talented, or so long as the end result would have been the same regardless.

What Does the Bible have to Say About This?

Someone once told me that the measure of a person is their integrity. Now, I don't think that is the only measure, but it is important. And most of us try to teach our children this... until it comes to our favorite team. Then it's ok. Then it's ok to ignore God, and ignore integrity.

Proverbs 28:6  Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.

James 4:17  So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.