1-2 - formation & dev't of conscience

8/4/2019 1-2 - Formation & Dev't of Conscience

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Formation and Development of Conscience

Ric A. Cervera

St. Paul University Iloilo


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You go to school whose academic standards are high,

and which requires excellent grades from students. This

situation is further complicated by your demanding parents

who expect you to do well. You have pretty good gradesduring your first 3 years in college.

You are now in your senior year, and in one of your major

subjects, your professor has been quite unfair. She has

planned a difficult test for you and your classmates. Youknow from past experience that half of the students in the

class cheat during exams. You have studied quite hard, but

you know that unless you cheat, many others will get higher

grades than you.

What would you do?

List3 reasons why you should cheat and3 reasons why

you should not to. Then, decide whether you will cheat or not.


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It is the proximate norm of personal morality, theultimate subjective norm for discerning moral good and evil,

with the feeling of being bound to follow its directive.


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It appliesobjective moral

norms to

particular acts.

Conscience as Inner Voice

It summonsthe person to

love the good

and avoid evil.


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Conscience is formed gradually through the

natural educational agents of family upbringing, schooltraining, parish catechesis, and the influence of friends

and social contacts.


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Christian conscience isformed gradually in faith andthrough personal and

ecclesial prayer-life:

by attending to the Word of

God and the teachings of theChurch,

by responsiveness to the

indwelling Holy Spirit, and

by critical reflection on our

concrete moral choices and

experiences of daily life.


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Heart factors include reading and prayerful

reflection on Jesus teaching and actions, and our

own prayer and sacramental life.
http://images.google.com.ph/imgres?imgurl=http://www.annerpino.com/2003/heart.jpg&imgrefurl=http://spasmicallyperfect.wordpress.com/2007/01/18/the-heart-of-a-musician/&h=400&w=400&sz=30&hl=tl&start=1&tbnid=PLovHyk9MkQL3M:&tbnh=124&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dheart%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Dtl


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Mind factors refer to a deepening in understanding

of Sacred Scripture and Church teaching, especially

Catholic moral principles, and sound moral guidance.


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Our moral responsibility is to develop a properly

informed conscience, and to correct any erroneous

conscience we may have had.


10/22Conscience monitors the self.


11/22Conscience is dynamic.


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Categories of Conscience

1. True Conscience

2. False Conscience3. Certain Conscience

4. Doubtful Conscience


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1. True Conscience

- when it deduces correctly

from the principle that the

act is lawful, or it conformsto what is objectively right.


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2. False or erroneous Conscience

- when it decides from false

principles which considered as

true that something which isunlawful. The conscience errs

because of false principles or

incorrect reasoning.

- Erroneous conscience has

further classification.


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a. Scrupulous Conscience

- one that for little or no

reason judges an act to bemorally evil when it is not,

or exaggerates the gravity

of sin, or sees sin where it

does not exist.


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b. Perplexed Conscience

-judges wrongly that sin is

committed both in theperformance or omission of

an act. One fears that sin is

committed whether it was

actually done or not.


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c. Lax Conscience

-judges on insufficient

ground that there is no sinin the act, or that the sin is

not grave as it is, or it is

insensitive to a moral

obligation in a particulararea.


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d. Pharisaical Conscience

- minimizes grave sins but

maximizes small ones.


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3. Certain Conscience

- when without any prudent

fear or error, it decides that

the act is either lawful orunlawful, or if the person

has no doubt about the

correctness of his/ her

judgment.


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Note on Certain Conscience

- a conscience can be

certain but at the same

time erroneous. A certainconscience is not

necessarily right; it

excludes all fears of error

about acting rightly.


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4. Doubtful Conscience

- when it fails to pass a

moral judgment in the

character of the act due toa fear or error; or if the

person is unsure about the

correctness of his

judgment.


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