There are many ethical implications of teacher-student relationships. The first issue is age. While some students are of legal age, most are too young to have a legal relationship with an adult. Another issue is an unfair advantage for said student in that teacher’s class. If a teacher is having a relationship with a student, he or she will likely not grade that student’s work fairly. He or she may be more harsh so that no one assumes anything, or the teacher could dish out better grades to gain the favor of that student. This is a serious conflict of interest! It is unfair to the other students for a teacher to have a relationship with one student. A teacher’s job is to teach a whole classroom full of students, and this is a very difficult task if the teacher is distracted by one particular student.

Now you’re thinking, I didn’t say I have a relationship with my teacher; it’s just a crush! I know, I know. But typically, a crush wishes it were a relationship, so I wanted to lay some consequences on the line before we delved into whether or not it is wrong to have a crush on your teacher. A recent episode of a popular television show about a show choir covered this very topic. A student had a crush on the show choir teacher and the results were not in her favor. The teacher felt very uncomfortable and the student was blinded by her “love.” It was not very fun for the teacher to confront the student, and when he did, she felt very immature.

While feelings are often uncontrollable, they can be dangerous. Remember these things when you develop a crush on a teacher, and try to keep things professional. Your crush is probably more harmful to the teacher than it is helpful to you.

A better question might be, would I want to date someone who thinks everything I believe in is wrong?  Most Christians who are very serious about following Christ would rank their religious views as one of the most important things in their lives.  Would you want to date someone who couldn’t share with you the most important thing in your life?  It seems to me that your conversations would be rather dry and that you would not be able to fully understand each other.

Some Christians think that if they date a non-Christian, that person will eventually become a Christian, so it is okay.  Answer me this:  when is the last time YOU were personally able to change another person?  People don’t change much.  I wouldn’t bank on them changing their religious views for you.  And do you think they would be sincere?  Or could they fake a conversion just to make you happy thus distancing themselves even further from an open, honest relationship with you.

Relationships work better when both parties understand one another.  There is a huge disconnect in a relationship between a Christian and a non-Christian that can’t be healthy for the relationship.  Find someone who shares your views on the more important things in life, and your relationship will be much more likely to thrive.

Different people have different philosophies on age and dating.  Here are some questions to consider when you are contemplating dating a younger man.

1.  Why do you want to date this younger man? Some women are drawn to younger men because it makes them feel younger.  These women are often insecure with aging and are searching for anything that will make them feel worthwhile.  Be sure that you are finding your worth in the right places (no man is ever the right place to find your worth!)

2.  Is his age an indication of his maturity level? If a man is half your age, he likely has half your life experience.  It is often hard for cross-generational relationships to work strictly because they don’t completely understand their partner’s perspective as a much older or much younger person.  If the fact that he is a much younger man means that he is much less mature, you will likely be ashamed of him in public or at least constantly rolling your eyes at him.  Does that sound like your idea of a good time or does it just sound wrong?

3.  Is the age the real issue or is it a stage in life issue? It is difficult to relate to a person who is living in a completely different stage of life.  While a party animal seems like fun, make sure you are not just trying to revert to your old ways to hide from the present.  Men don’t mature completely until they are approximately 25 years old.  This is an important fact to consider when contemplating dating a man younger than 25.

When considering dating a younger man, keep in mind not only his age but his maturity level and stage in life.  Also examine your motives.  Get the opinion of a trusted third party if you feel like your view is skewed because you are in the midst of the situation.

By no means!  Strength is beautiful.  By saying that it is not wrong to be strong does not mean that it is always right to be strong.  There is nothing wrong with being weak. Sometimes you just need to scream or cry and most people do not view that as strong.  A good, strong woman is hard to find, but she will certainly succeed in life. The wife of noble character described in Proverbs 31 in the Bible is praised for her strength as well with many other attributes.  Think of the strongest woman you know.  Do you look down on her because she is strong?  Of course not.

The most important thing is to be true to yourself.  Do not hide your strength if you have it.  Be who you are, and don’t let anyone look down on you for being you.  You were made the way you are for a reason, and no one else can fulfill the roles you have been given to play in your life.  If you feel like being strong is what you were made for, then by all means, be strong!

Cheating is punishable by expulsion at many academic institutions.  There must be reasons for this harsh punishment.  Cheating is not fair to the true owner of the information, to the person who took the time to do things right.  Cheating is a lack of honesty.  Cheating cheapens the value of the education a student is seeking.

These same reasons hold true of cheating on a significnat other.  Cheating is not fair to your significant other.  He or she is completely devoted to you and you are splitting your romantic attention with another person.  Cheating on a significant other is a lack of honesty.  Honesty should be at the core of every healthy relationship.  Cheating cheapens your relationship.  The riches you used to find in your significant other are worth far less if you are replacing them with the goods of another person.

How would you feel if your significant other cheated on you?  Would you think they were in the wrong?  How do you think they would feel if they knew you were cheating on them?  If you are merely dating this individual, you may contemplate breaking up with him or her as opposed to cheating.  If you are married, think back to your wedding when you vowed to stay with your spouse forever.  Instead of cheating for a little excitement in your life, maybe you could spice things up with your own spouse.

It is important to guard yourself from the temptation to cheat.  If you are fully committed to your significant other and investing in your relationship, you should have no reason to sneak off with someone else.  While the temptation is very normal, there is always a right way out of it- to stay committed to your mate!

Do you really want to sleep with your sister?  Why would you want to do that?  Does your sister want to sleep with you, too?  These are all questions you should consider when contemplating sleeping with your sister.  Procreating with a close relative is illegal in most places.  Incestuous relationships often result in offspring with severe disabilities and birth defects.  While pregnancy is not assured if you sleep with your sister, the feelings of regret and guilt may be enough to deter you from sleeping with her.  While you may not feel a great deal of regret after sleeping with your sister, I can almost guarantee she will feel pretty dirty.  If the sex is not consensual, you could be convicted of rape and placed on the national sex offender’s registry where you will remain for quite some time.  While conviction of a crime is also not necessarily going to happen, how would you really feel if you had to live with the fact that you slept with your sister?  How will your future wife feel if she finds out?  I sure wouldn’t want to marry a man who has slept with his sister!

Let’s get down to the root of the issue.  Why do you want to sleep with your sister?  People are often drawn to people who are similar to themselves, and it doesn’t get much more similar than family.  Maybe you should notice the things you find attractive in your sister and look for them outside of your family.  People are also drawn to attributes in others they wish they had in themselves.  What is it about your sister that intrigues you?  Maybe you should work on drawing that out of yourself.

Always think before you act.  Think about the implications for yourself.  Think about the implications for the others involved.  Are they worth it?  Chances are, a few minutes of pleasure (which may not even be as pleasurable as you are expecting) are not worth the lifetime of regret or the lifetime of trying to keep very big secrets.

There are many different issues to consider in order to answer the question of the rightness or wrongness of living together before marriage.  Some people live together before they get married so they can save money.  If you are unable to afford to live in two places, you may want to reconsider your readiness for marriage.  Others live together to see if they can stand their significant other 24/7.  One problem with this idea is that if you CAN’T stand your significant other, it is very hard to get out of a relationship once you live together.  If you are able to get out of the relationship, it will cheapen future relationships.  What person wants to compare himself or herself to their partner’s future live-in significant other?  It is much easier to be fully satisfied if you have only lived with one person.

One big reason many people think it is wrong to live together before marriage is that they think it is wrong to have sex before marriage.  There are many reasons not to have sex before marriage.  Unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, and regrets are just a few of the big ones.  It is statistically much safer to wait until marriage to have sex.  Many people disagree with this stance, and they are probably the ones spreading the STDs.  But does the fact that you’re living together necessarily mean that you are having sex?  No.  There will be assumptions by other people, however, that sex is happening.  All people care what others think of them.  How do you want to be portrayed to the outside world?  How would your parents feel if you lived with your significant other before marriage?  It is important not to burn important bridges.  Typically, parental bridges are of the most important to keep intact.  Losing the respect of people who matter to you is probably not worth the convenience of living together before marriage.

Big life decisions like this require a lot of thought.  Don’t run hastily into your significant other’s house without giving it a lot of thought.  Think about the consequences of your actions before you make them.  There is a huge difference between regretting one’s actions and regretting the consequences of one’s actions.

You may be wondering, is it wrong to sleep with your cousin?  That completely depends upon a few important things.  Just ask yourself these important questions:

1.  Is your cousin of the opposite sex? Different people have differing opinions on whether or not it is okay to sleep with members of the same sex.  If this is an issue, make sure you have no internal ethical dilemmas with this issue before you decide to take the plunge.

2.  Are you using birth control? It is a well-known fact that the offspring of relatives who sleep with one another often have severe defects or disabilities.  Make sure you are either using birth control or have the capabilities to care for a child with very special needs before you decide to sleep with your cousin.

3.  Is your cousin married? Again, different people have differing opinions on this matter.  If you think it is wrong to sleep with a married person, you should take this into consideration.  Will this damage your relationship with your cousin-in-law (your cousin’s spouse) if word gets out?

4.  If you sleep with your cousin secretly, how will you feel if the secret gets out? Your family is likely to have some strong feelings about this issue.  If you care what your family and your cousin’s family (which is also your family) think, you may want to reconsider. It is very hard to keep a secret forever.

5.  How awkward will your next family reunion be if you sleep with your cousin? Family reunions are meant to be spent having fun with your extended family, not trying to hide the fun you have had with a member of your extended family in his or her bed.  Remember, secrets are hard to keep and your behavior towards your cousin in front of the rest of your family has the potential to be very telling.

According to the Bible, the world would be unpopulated if people had not slept with their cousins.  Noah, his wife, and his children were the only people to survive the Great Flood, and thus his grandchildren had to sleep with one another to repopulate the world.

Hopefully this has given you some food for thought.  Whatever your decision ends up being, make sure you have thought through the consequences of your potential actions before you commit them.

You may be wondering, is it wrong to sleep with your step dad after your mom dies?  Let’s put it this way, if you’re going to sleep with your step dad, you better think it through before you do.  Sleeping with anyone is a big decision.  Here are some questions for you to consider.

1.  How was your relationship with your mom?  If you had a great deal of respect for you mother while she was living, you may want to continue respecting her while she is in the grave.  Or, you may respect her taste in men and thus be very attracted to your step dad, which does not necessarily mean you should sleep with him.

2.  How long ago did your mom pass away?  If you sleep with your step dad shortly after your mother’s passing, you are likely just using the sex as a coping mechanism.  Make sure you have had plenty of time to grieve appropriately before you even think about sleeping with your step dad.

3.  Did your step dad and your mom have any children together?  If you sleep with your step dad and end up pregnant, you will be birthing your mom’s next step child.  This child will be both your step sibling and step child at the same time.  For the sake of your future child, you might not want to sleep with your step dad.

5.  Do you think it is wrong to sleep with someone out of wedlock?  If you think it is wrong to sleep with someone without being married to them, you will want to marry your step dad before you sleep with him.  If the thought of marrying your step dad repulses you, you probably should refrain from sleeping with him.

While it is not legally wrong to sleep with your step dad after your mom dies, there are many ethical questions you must ask yourself and answer before you take the plunge.  Hopefully these questions have you spurred some good thoughts and can help you make this very difficult decision.

What exactly do you mean by “like your cousin?”  While family members are often the most difficult people for us to like, they are also often the most rewarding relationships to have.  If you don’t like your cousin, keep it to yourself so that you don’t cause more familial strife than is necessary.

If by “like your cousin,” you mean have romantic feelings towards your cousin, that is a different story.

You can’t help how you feel.  The feelings themselves are not wrong.  What you do with those feelings, however, can be wrong.  Consummating a relationship with your cousin can cause any number of problems.  You could end up with a child with special needs, uncontrollable feelings of regret, familial animosity, etc.  None of these problems are worth the moments of ecstasy your cousin may provide you.

If you are not planning on consummating your relationship with your cousin, why worry about whether or not you like your cousin?  Innocent feelings, when not acted upon, are harmless.  Find someone else to like if you need to reduce the amount of temptation.  I know you’ll say, “but I can’t help who I like,” and while that is partially true, the more you try to like something, the more you end up liking it.  For example, I had a friend with a summer job with a 45 minute commute every day.  He hated country music at the beginning of the summer, but after listening to it (as it was the only option on the radio) for an hour and a half every day, he started liking country music.

Ultimately, it is not wrong to like your cousin.  Just be careful what you do with those feelings!