I didn’t understand the assignment and wrote it off. Is this a sin?translated

Reader question:

Hello, I'm 13 years old. If during tests or independent work I do not understand the task, but there is an opportunity to copy, and I do this often, is this considered a sin?

Ksenia

Priest's answer:

Priest Victor NIKISHOV

Hello, Ksenia!

Alas, this is a sin. To copy is to pass off someone else's work as your own, which means it is deception. The Holy Scripture says: “Thou shalt not steal” (Ex. 20:15). Appropriating someone else's answer is also theft, only not of things, but of knowledge.

The sin here is not that you don’t know something, but in the decision to cheat in order to avoid a bad grade. That is, this is an attempt to deceive and evade responsibility.

Sometimes it is better to get an honest D than to write off. A bad grade can be corrected, but the habit of cheating is more difficult.

God sees not only your action, but also what lies behind it: fear, fatigue, ignorance. The Lord will not turn away from you because of this. The main thing is to work on mistakes in time, realize what the sin is, and try not to return to it again.

God help you!