Is machine knitting cheating?

Geez.....I just spent 45 minutes ruminating online whether or not machine knitting is "cheating" (as someone at the place where I volunteer on Tuesday nights accused me of doing!), but darn it, when I pressed "publish post", it disappeared!!!!!!! Well, here is the result of my ruminations in a nutshell: NO! MACHINE. KNITTING. IS. NOT. CHEATING. It is merely a more efficient mode of producing knitted items. For those who like to engage in the process v. product debate, I would venture to say that the process of knitting an item using a machine or a hand loom is also a meditative exercise. I love it and I use the time spent going back and forth over the needle bed as a time to think, reflect, and sometimes just plain zone out. Of course, I also use the time to listen to music, or watch my favorite tv programs. But, in the end, I guess I am a "product" person, since I absolutely love the fact that I can knit my sweaters/shawls/ponchos/scarves/hats in a fraction of the time a handknitter can! I love the fact that I can make a sweater in a weekend, a scarf in an hour or less. It takes forever for me to plan the item and to select the yarns and pattern, but the actual knitting time is relatively short, and I can have my finished knitted items in my hands much sooner than if I had knitted by hand!