Would you cheat, even just a little bit, if you felt confident no one would ever find out?

That question seems be more and more relevant in modern life. It was punctuated recently by a Wall Street Journal story that, after almost 50 years, casts serious doubt on the integrity of one of the greatest sports accomplishments in U.S. history.

The remarkable come-from-behind major league baseball pennant drive by the New York Giants in 1951 — a drive capped by a dramatic home run in the final at-bat of the season — was aided by an elaborate scheme to steal pitching signs from opposing teams, the newspaper reported. Members of the team now admit they stationed someone in the center field club house with a high-powered telescope capable of viewing opposing catchers as they sent signs to the pitcher. An electric buzzer was wired from the club house to the bullpen, and a system was invented for signaling the stolen signs quickly and reliably to the batter, who then would know what type of pitch was coming before the ball left the pitcher's hands.

The pennant drive had been voted by some as one of the top sports accomplishments of the 20th century. Now, its status has been tarnished.

Some will say this was only a game and, therefore, the cheating associated with it was not a big deal. But is there such a thing as harmless cheating?

And what of the cheating that goes on elsewhere in the world? What of the business deals that are tied to secret arrangements that bypass rules and regulations? What of politicians and other prominent people who seek to use their positions to gain unfair advantages? What of students who look for shortcuts to success, arguing they are too tired and stressed to pass their classes by studying and following rules?

A recent survey by the nonpartisan Joseph & Edna Josephson Institute of Ethics found that 70 percent of American high school students said they had cheated on a test at least once during the previous year. Almost half admitted they had done this more than one time. More than a quarter of the students said they would lie if they felt it was necessary in order to get a job.

In what may be a sad understatement, the founder and president of the surveying organization told the Associated Press the data is evidence of a "hole in the moral ozone."

One could argue that the severity of cheating could be measured in degrees; that an athletic contest is not as important as a college exam or a business deal. But the damage to the cheater's character and integrity is the same.

Years ago, President Spencer W. Kimball said there is little difference between types of dishonesty. In fact, the so-called "little" examples can be the most damaging.

"A parent who understates the age of the child to avoid adult prices in shows and planes and trains and buses is forcefully teaching the child to be dishonest," he said. "He will not forget these lessons. Some parents permit the child to break the law as to firecrackers, the use of guns, fishing and hunting without license. The children are permitted to drive without a license or to falsify their ages. Those who take little things without accounting for them, such as fruit from the neighbor's yard, a pen from a desk, a package of gum from the help-yourself shelf, all are being taught silently that little thefts and dishonesties are not so bad." (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, Bookcraft, p. 343.)

The thought that one can win by cheating is a lie. Satan would have people believe that winning a pennant, a business deal, political power or a passing grade all are ultimate victories. In the end, however, there is but one victory that counts — the victory over death and sin that allows us to repent and return to our Heavenly Father.

The prophet Alma asks us to imagine ourselves at the judgment bar of God. " . . . do ye imagine to yourselves that ye can lie unto the Lord in that day, and say — Lord our works have been righteous works upon the face of the earth — and that he will save you?" (Alma 5:16.)

No one can lie his or her way to eternal life. Latter-day Saints must live lives that are impeccably honest.