God hGod have granted us everything that is necessary ave granted us everything that is necessary to help us achieve our purpose and goal – to be to help us achieve our purpose and goal – to be

truthful, good, and beautiful (truthful, good, and beautiful (Principle 4 – Principle 4 – Purpose of the Human Persons as a Purpose of the Human Persons as a

Created RealityCreated Reality). ).

One of the necessary things God One of the necessary things God granted us to help us achieve our granted us to help us achieve our

goal is goal is human freedomhuman freedom. .

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True freedomTrue freedom means means to do what is to do what is true, good, and beatifultrue, good, and beatiful. True . True

freedom leads to self-actualization, not freedom leads to self-actualization, not to to self-destruction or destruction of to to self-destruction or destruction of

other people in community.other people in community.

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How do we judge the goodness or How do we judge the goodness or evilness of our moral acts?evilness of our moral acts?

What enables us to discern if our What enables us to discern if our acts make us more human, more acts make us more human, more truly free?truly free?

What should we do to grow in this What should we do to grow in this capacity of discernment and capacity of discernment and judgement? judgement?

Our questions point to God’s gift of Human Our questions point to God’s gift of Human ConscienceConscience

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Conscience serves precisely this Conscience serves precisely this purpose: purpose:

1.1.Conscience is our inherent sensitivity to Conscience is our inherent sensitivity to basic human needs and values supported basic human needs and values supported by rules and laws.by rules and laws.

2.2. Conscience is our capacity to discern the Conscience is our capacity to discern the good from the evil, the moral from the good from the evil, the moral from the immoral.immoral.

3.3.Conscience is our ability to apply Conscience is our ability to apply universal moral laws to particular moral universal moral laws to particular moral situations.situations.

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What is What is conscience?conscience?Objectives: Objectives:

1.1. Critique and correct some Critique and correct some common misconceptions common misconceptions about conscience;about conscience;

2.2. Discuss the nature of human Discuss the nature of human conscience and how conscience and how conscience actually operates; conscience actually operates; andand

3.3. Reflect on how we can Reflect on how we can educate and courageously educate and courageously follow our conscience. follow our conscience.

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What Conscience Is Not – Wrong What Conscience Is Not – Wrong Understanding of ConscienceUnderstanding of Conscience

1.1.““It’s between me and my conscience”It’s between me and my conscience”

• Conscience is simply doing things “ my way,” Conscience is simply doing things “ my way,” without considering the good of otherswithout considering the good of others

• This notion presumed that conscience is being able This notion presumed that conscience is being able to perform an act that you personally and to perform an act that you personally and individually feel good about, regardless of how it individually feel good about, regardless of how it affects other people. affects other people.

• ““What matters most is not whether what I did What matters most is not whether what I did was was morally morally good or evil but that I was personally the good or evil but that I was personally the one who made the decision” – individualistic notion one who made the decision” – individualistic notion of conscience.of conscience.

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What Conscience Is Not – Wrong What Conscience Is Not – Wrong Understanding of ConscienceUnderstanding of Conscience

2.2.““Conscience is God’s voice within us”Conscience is God’s voice within us”

• This notion presumed that conscience is a This notion presumed that conscience is a separate, supernatural, other-worldly voice of separate, supernatural, other-worldly voice of God that we hear with our inner ear, having no God that we hear with our inner ear, having no connection with our own knowledge and power connection with our own knowledge and power of reasoning and discernment.of reasoning and discernment.

• We naturally relate the voice of our conscience We naturally relate the voice of our conscience to God, first, because God has created us as to God, first, because God has created us as moral persons, and second, because God is the moral persons, and second, because God is the perfect norm of goodness.perfect norm of goodness.

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3.3.““Conscience is the feeling of guilt”Conscience is the feeling of guilt”

• This notion presumed that conscience is our This notion presumed that conscience is our feeling of guilt when we do something wrong.feeling of guilt when we do something wrong.

• Conscience is reduced and equated to the Conscience is reduced and equated to the feeling of guilt. feeling of guilt.

• Does this mean that our conscience is Does this mean that our conscience is automatically correct once we no longer feel automatically correct once we no longer feel guilty?guilty?

 

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4.4.““Conscience is an external reality”Conscience is an external reality”

• This notion presumed that conscience is an This notion presumed that conscience is an another existing reality outside of ourselves.another existing reality outside of ourselves.

• This implies that folowing one’s conscience is This implies that folowing one’s conscience is simply an act of personal deliberation without simply an act of personal deliberation without reference to any objective moral standard.reference to any objective moral standard.

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Can you come up now with Can you come up now with a correct definition of a correct definition of

conscience?conscience?