Conscience

Conscience

Decisions that add or take away from their love for God, love of self, or love of neighbour is the job of every conscience. All people are faced with moral and immoral choices in every day life. What helps solve ones problem is their conscience. There are three things that help one develop their conscience. They are the teachings of the magisterium, tradition and scripture.

The Magisterium. The Catholic faith tells one that if one follows the Church's teachings on moral issues, one will become a more loving and Christ- like person. A Catholic has a responsibility to pay attention to what the church teaches and take into consideration how this will affect our relationships with God. When one solves a problem through magisterium, one must solve this problem with humility. This means that one can admit that they need help, and turn to the Catechism of the Catholic Church to help solve the problem. When one does this, it is difficult to admit to God and the Church that one needs help.

Scripture. Another teaching that helps develop a person's conscience is scripture. Scripture is the teachings of God and Jesus in the bible. Scripture helps to solve problems because it reminds one of the moral problems Jesus faced. The teachings of scripture have set guidelines on how a person may solve a problem. This helps one to analyze their own problems and relate them to the teachings of Jesus, God and the bible. The Scripture teaches one what to do in a Christ- like way.

Tradition. Tradition is the third thing that helps one develop their conscience. Tradition sometimes makes it difficult for a person to solve a problem through magisterium and scripture. Tradition is the way the world around us is and a person is often influenced by their society. When one is faced with moral dilemma and the decision is based on tradition, it can make us further away from God. These