Sexual Orientation

The Catholic Church believes that relationships between same sex partners is morally wrong. The Bible states that same sex relationships are looked down upon. Personally, I think that same sex relationships are weird, but i do not have a big problem with them. A same sex connection is more commonly found today, then any period within the last decade. The evolution of the acceptance of same sex bonds has matured through the last couple of years and I think that that acceptance is connected directly with the lessening number of people going to mass every year.
Over the summer, when I was traveling the country, visiting various colleges, my mother and I stopped into a small Catholic Church in a small town in the state of West Virginia and during the mass I remember the priest saying in his homily that more and more people every year are not going to mass as often as they used to or are just not going to mass at all. I think that the falling number of participants in the Catholic Church is one of the main reasons why more people accept "gay" relationships or why more people are "coming out of the closet." The Catholic Church in the earlier days, I feel used to be much more strick about what went on inside and outside of the church, which caused a "gay" person to keep it to himself or herself because the society would not have accepted that individual. Now, not all homosexuals are from the Roman Catholic religion, but the lack of Catholic reilgion caused more Catholics to "come out", which would then cause more homosexuals of other religions to "come out."
In my personal beliefs, I think that one could call me homophobic. I do not have a problem with someone being "gay", but when that person displays actions, such as kissing, in public I do have a problem with that. I do not know why I have a problem with homosexuals showing affection, I mean men and women show affection between eachother and I am okay with those emotions, but I am just not yet comfortable with viewing intamacy between homosexuals.

Academic Integrity

I think that students should practice academic integrity because if they do not then it just makes them look like a lower person. People can damage their image by stealing some one's answers, by becoming a liar, and by slacking. Teachers and also other individuals will look at he or she and automatically stereotype that person as a cheater or whatever because they know of an instance when that boy or girl violated academic integrity.
I believe that there is no place for cheating or anything else along those lines becuase it does not get you anywhere, you are only cheating yourself in the long run. Also, if a person is caught violating academic integrity, that person gets emmbarrassed and feels like an idiot because they got caught. If that person had made the proper decision, he or she would not have been embarrassed and sure might have gotten the question or assignment wrong, but he or she would learn from his or her mistake and in the process would become a stronger person.
I will admit that when I was a Freshman at Holy Ghost, I got caught cheating on a test and tried to be sneaky about it, so I did not get caught, but I guess I was not sneaky enough. I was caught in the act by the teacher, I was embarrassed, and felt bad that I even thought about cheating. After the teacher caught me, I think she looked at me differently because I commited that wrong action, which I do not like. Then, the teacher sent me down to Mr. Chapman and I honestly told him about what I had just done. He gave me my punishment like I deserved and I can honestly say now that since that moment in Freshman year I have not cheated or violated academic integrity since and hopfully that will continue.