Conscience

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Conscience
Barbara Lee
Cesar Chavez
His Holiness the Dali Lama
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What is Conscience?
Abraham Lincoln

• conscience is a type of knowledge that reveals
  what is right and wrong
• a moral censor within the self that can be
  brilliant or dull - depending on awareness and
  sharpening

Joan Baez
Eleanor Rooselvelt
Francis and Clare
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What is Conscience 2
Daniel Berigan
Veronica Guerin

• An internal law that binds a person to obedience.
  
• To obey the summons of conscience furthers the
  integration of the self - with what is believed
  at the core of the person. To disobey the
  internal law of conscience fractures the self
  at its very core. (Gaudium et Spes)

Maximilan Kolbe
Maximilian Kolbe
Blessed Mother Teresa
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What is Conscience? 3

• Conscience is the ONLY witness, since what takes
  place in the heart is hidden from the eyes of
  everyone outside.
• JPII

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What is Conscience? 4

• A Christian conscience is based on the values
  attitude of Jesus toward society, relationships
  and faith
• Jesus the way to be human counter cultural.

Craig Kielburger
Joan Baez
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Question1

• Explain Conscience is NOT a feeling

Mr. Shaughnessy at Ft. Benning Gate
S.I. Students at SOA vigil
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Answer 1

• Feelings can be morally neutral -
• They work both ways feeling guilty or not
  feeling guilty.

Blessed Mother Teresa
Dorothy Day
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Question 2

• When is one acting out of conscience?
• Why is conscience fallible?

Maura Clark Dorothy Kazel Ita Ford JeanDonovan
Church women slain in El Salvador
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Answer 2

• One is acting out of conscience only when one
  decides to act or not act.
• We are conditioned, so our conscience is fallible
  - we never are 100 sure.

JPII at prayer
Gandhi
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Question 3

• Explain
• I may be wrong, but I am convinced I should do
  this

Oscar Romero
Bishop Oscar Romero
Martin Luther
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Answer 3
Oscar Romero in death

• It is the final norm by which an act is guided.
• The act may not be necessarily correct, but
  allows us to be true to ourselves.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer
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Question 4

• How does one know he/she has made a good decision
  of conscience?

72 yr. old nun crossing the line I do not want
to do this, but I must
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Answer 4

• Peace of Mind
• There are no more questions to be asked.

JPII at Western Wall
Gandhi
Mother Teresa
Oscar Romero
Thomas More
Edith Stein
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Question 5

• When one finds oneself in opposition to Church
  moral teachings, what must one take into account?
• A) About the Church
• B) About oneself

Conscientious Objectors, WWII
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Answer 5

• The Church
• Is historically conditioned
• May not be applicable to situation
• Study, reflect, pray

MLK, Jr.
Eric Liddell
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Answer 5 continued

• A person
• Cant rely only on oneself
• Teachings, associates, science, the Bible,
  theologians.
• One is not a faithful Catholic (or Jew,) who
  deliberately and systematically excludes
  references to religious teachings in moral
  decision-making.

Roy Bourgeois
Cesar Chavez
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Question 6
Jean Donovan, lay missioner.

• What is the ultimate call of conscience?
• aka The bottom line???

Jean Donovan, lay missioner
Le Chambon Villagers
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Answer 6

• One MUST follow ones well-formed conscience . .
  . .

Blessed Mother Teresa
Franz Jaegerstaetter
no matter what.
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Question 7

• Why isnt it easy for a person
• to
• Discern the Spirit?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Martin Sheen
Dan Berrigan
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Roy Bourgeois
Desmond Tutu
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Answer 7

• The Spirit is
• Intangible,
• Invisible,
• and
• we are prone to rationalize in our own favor.

Barbara Lee
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Question 8

• What are the three definite behaviors of a
  Christian in terms of conscience?

Charlie Liteky
Dorothy Day
Roy Bourgeois
Nelson Mandela
Desmond Tutu
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Answer 8
Nelson Mandela
Wu Wei Lin

• l. To act and live conscientiously
• 2. Think through decisions - not blind obedience,
  whim or feelings
• 3. Act in accordance with informed and developed
  conscience

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People of Conscience
Rachel Corey
Rachel Corrie
U2s Bono
Princess Diana
Amy Biehl
Blessed Mother Teresa
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More People of Conscience
Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
Beyers Naude
Alfred Boeddeker, OFM
Harriet Tubman
Chief Seattle
Oscar Schindler
Rachel Corrie
Underground Railroad
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Homework

• Ok - Pick one person. Research that person.
• What do you like about him? What challenges you
  about her? How has he/she been counter-cultural?
• How has she/he affected YOU?

Jimmy Carter