Lesson 6 The Concept of Conscience

Lesson 6
The Concept of Conscience

Learning Goals and Objectives:
1. To be able to define the meaning of Conscience.
2. To be able to understand the principle of the

different types of conscience
3. To be able to live and follow one’s own

conscience.
Conscience is often described as an “inner voice”
which tells us what is right and wrong
Vatican II, in its “Pastoral Constitution of the

Church in the Modern World” (#16), depicts
conscience as the principle or sense that summons us
to love good and avoid evil
It is the most secret core and sanctuary of an
individual where we can be alone with God whose
voice becomes the master of our acts.
Conscience reveals the law which is fulfilled by our

love of God and our neighbor.
Richard McBrien, defines conscience not only as a
feeling or judgment but also as the radical experience
of ourselves as moral agents that Christian conscience
is the representation of ourselves as new creatures in
Christ enlived by the Holy Spirit.
Because we lack complete knowledge about
ourselves, the decision of conscience are necessarily
incomplete and partial.
Conscience must be properly formed because it is
the final, subjective norm of moral action by which
individuals are guided to come up with decision.
It does not guarantee correctness of the decision or

judgment; it only allows us to be true to ourselves.
Furthermore we have to remember that God judges
each of us based on what is in our hearts on the very
motivation in doing a certain act.
The Moral Conscience
Moral law as the objective norm of morality cannot

achieve its purpose and guide human activity toward
God’s plan unless the law is known by people and
recognized in its obligatory character.
Conscience is the faculty which manifests this
moral obligation in a concrete situation. Vatican II
declares that in the depths of our conscience, we detect
a law which we don’t impose upon ourselves, but
which holds us to obedience.
“Do this, shun that.” In our hearts, we detect a law
written by God. To obey is the very dignity of
man/woman .
We will be judge according to how we have

followed our conscience. Conscience is where we are
alone with God whose voice echoes in its depths (GS,
16)
Categories of Conscience
There are four categories of Conscience:

1. True Conscience –
when it deduces correctly from the principle that

the act is lawful, or it conforms to what is objectively
right.
2. False or Erroneous Conscience –
When it decides from the false principles

considered as true that something is unlawful. The
conscience errs because of false principles or incorrect
reasoning. Erroneous conscience can be further
classified as:
a. Scrupulous conscience −
one that for little or no reason judges an act to be

morally evil when it is not, or exaggerates the gravity
of sin, or sees sin where it does not exist.
b. Perplexed conscience −
judges wrongly that sin is committed both in the

performance or omission of an act. One fears that sin
is committed whether it was actually done or not.
c. Lax conscience −
judges on insufficient ground that there is no sin in

the fact, or that the sin is not as grave as it in fact, or it
is insensitive to a moral obligation in a particular area.
d. Pharisaical conscience −
minimizes grave sins but maximizes small ones.

3. Certain Conscience −
when without any prudent fear or error, it decides

that the act is either lawful or unlawful; or if a person
has no doubt about the correctness of his/her judgment.
A conscience can be certain but at the same time

erroneous. A certain conscience is not necessarily right;
it excludes all fears of error about acting rightly.
4. Doubtful conscience −
when it fails to pass a moral judgment in the character

of the act due to a fear or error; or if the person is unsure
about the correctness of his/her judgment.
Formation and Development of Conscience
There are certain principles that form or govern

conscience:
1. A person is obliged to form a right with an unerring

conscience
2. Everyone is obliged to follow his/her conscience.
3. An individual is not permitted to follow erroneous
conscience.
4. If a person with perplexed conscience finds it
impossible to ask for an advice, he/she should choose
what seems to be lesser evil. He/She should follow the
reflex principles.
Reflex Principles- are rules of prudence which do
not solve doubts concerning the existence of a law,
moral principle, or fact by intrinsic or extrinsic
evidence.
Instead they only indicate where, in cases of
unresolvable doubts, the greater right is usually to be
found and the lesser evil is to be feared, and which
side, therefore, is to be favored as long as the doubt
persist.
The following are the Reflex Principles:
a. In doubt, the condition of the possessor is the better.
b. In doubt, favor the accused; or (which one comes to
the same): crime is not to be presumed, but to be
proved.
c. In doubt, presumption stands on the side of the
superior.
d. In doubt, stand for the validity of the act(e.g., the
validity of the matrimonial bond[cf.CCC#1060] or the
validity of an examination or an appointment to an
office.
e. In doubt, amplify the favorable and restrict the
unfavorable.
f. In doubt, presumption stands for the usual and the
ordinary (or follow the daily and ordinary experience).
g. In doubt, favor the customary and hitherto
approved.
h. A doubtful law does not obliged (i.e., presumption
stands for liberty).
5. Only the certain conscience is a correct guide to

moral behavior.
INTEGRATION:
1 Peter 3:16
“Having a good conscience, so that, when you
are slandered, those who revile your good
behavior in Christ may be put to shame”.
How do you use your conscience in

choosing an alternative course of action,
and in making a decision?
ASSESSMENT:
Give your own answers on each situations.
1. A good friend of yours offer you prohibited
drugs. He tries to convince you by saying that his
experience with drugs is quite fun. Give four
reasons for taking the drugs and four reasons for
not taking them. Then, decide whether you will
take the drugs or not.
2. You are a soldier and your country is at war
with a nation that is heading towards
communism. You respect the law and deeply
believe in the values of your own country. One
day, your group is ordered to attack and totally
destroy a barrio. The barrio is suspected of hiding
a band of terrorists, but is also known to be
populated by old people and small children.
Should you attack? Give four reasons why you
should attack and four reasons why you should
not attack. Then, decide whether you will attack
or not.
REFERENCES:
o Cf. Marcelino Zalba. Theologiae Moralis
Compendium 1; 1958. no.316
oWilliam E. May. An Introductiom to Moral
Theology. (Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor
Publishing Division, 1994), 206.
oCatechism of the Catholic Church

Lesson 6 The Concept of Conscience

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Lesson 6 The Concept of Conscience

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Lesson 6

The Concept of Conscience

1. To be able to define the meaning of Conscience.

2. To be able to understand the principle of the

3. To be able to live and follow one’s own

Vatican II, in its “Pastoral Constitution of the

Conscience reveals the law which is fulfilled by our

It does not guarantee correctness of the decision or

Moral law as the objective norm of morality cannot

We will be judge according to how we have

There are four categories of Conscience:

when it deduces correctly from the principle that

When it decides from the false principles

one that for little or no reason judges an act to be

judges wrongly that sin is committed both in the

judges on insufficient ground that there is no sin in

minimizes grave sins but maximizes small ones.

when without any prudent fear or error, it decides

A conscience can be certain but at the same time

when it fails to pass a moral judgment in the character

There are certain principles that form or govern

1. A person is obliged to form a right with an unerring

5. Only the certain conscience is a correct guide to

How do you use your conscience in

You might also like