Spike Tassel mentioned having a properly trained conscience on another thread. He and anyone else are welcome to share their thoughts here.
'Bible-trained conscience' is a phrase we all used as witnesses. I looked up the definition of conscience, which is:
1. the inner sense of what is right or wrong in one's conduct or motives, impelling one toward right action
and
2. the complex of ethical and moral principles that controls or inhibits the actions or thoughts of an individual.
The first definition indicates that our conscience naturally impels from within, rather than be compelled from outside ourselves. The second definition leaves it open to include principles that may be imposed from without.
This may be semantics.
Do you think the conscience is merely our natural moral compass, without any influence, positive or negative, from outside ourselves? Or do you think the conscience includes learned morals? Obviously people have learned morals, but do you think that is a separate issue from the conscience? Is the conscience capable of being trained or do we merely layer other moral or ethical concepts on top of it? If your conscience tells you something different than the moral code you've chosen to follow, how do you decide which is right?
If you are a believer in creation, are our consciences reliable? If yes, than why are people who commit evil acts not tormented about it? If no, than why did God create a faulty moral compass?
Trained Conscience?
by bluecanary 2 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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bluecanary
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VoidEater
"Do you think the conscience is merely our natural moral compass, without any influence, positive or negative, from outside ourselves?"
The conscience is an internal mental mechanism programmed by external learning. In Freudian terms, it is part of the Super Ego. In certain body-based (and other) psychotherapies, it is part of Core Beliefs. It can appear as part of the subconscious (or preconscious) psyche, particularly for people who have not done much self examination.
"Or do you think the conscience includes learned morals?"
It is entirely learned.
"Obviously people have learned morals, but do you think that is a separate issue from the conscience?"
The difference is you can know a moral code but not be bound by it. Binding yourself (or having been taught) a moral code that you abide by places it semantically into the realm of 'conscience'.
"Is the conscience capable of being trained or do we merely layer other moral or ethical concepts on top of it?"
It is learned. It can be changed. Changing can take a great deal of time and work, but it is also happening every moment you are alive. It is also flexible as we apply subtly different scenarios to our thinking or alter our interpretation of events.
"If your conscience tells you something different than the moral code you've chosen to follow, how do you decide which is right?"
There is no "objective right" beyond what you judge. You will be guided by whatever is the stronger impulse at the moment: moral code, personal conscience, self preservation...how you descide what is "right" determines your character.
"If you are a believer in creation, are our consciences reliable?"They are as reliable as our teachers. The Bible tells us that a child must be taught from infancy, it makes no mention of an inborn conscience.
"If yes, than why are people who commit evil acts not tormented about it? If no, than why did God create a faulty moral compass?"
He didn't create a moral compass, we have a blank slate upon which the compass is written (while we are too young to sort things out) and upon which we write (as we grow older).
Some evil men ignore their conscience, some evil men have rewritten theirs.
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bluecanary
Wow, thanks for the really thorough reply VoidEater! Very interesting stuff.