Unit 4 – Moral Decision-Making Lesson 2 – Conscience and Guilt

Conscience is more than “a little voice in my head.” It is the inner sense of right & wrong that enables me to make moral decisions freely.

-- Conscience (Latin root) – to know -- It’s an act of judgment based on one’s knowledge of right & wrong. Knowing with your mind. Knowing with your heart.

Many factors help shape our conscience, for better or worse. What are some?

The Church says we are obligated to follow the dictates of our consciences. This puts the responsibility on us to… 1. Develop an informed conscience – this can be like a good friend who will tell you what you need to hear, rather than what you want to hear. 2. Seek info to resolve uncertainty when our conscience is doubtful.

When your conscience is doubtful, you… … may need to revisit “S.” -- Be open & trusting of the counsel & advice of adults who have some wisdom, faith, & concern for you. … need to remember “E.” -- If, after much effort to find the truth, there’s still real, sincere, doubt, you must follow where your conscience, w/ much prayer & trust that you are acting in good faith. leads

Two types of conscience you DON’T want: 1.Erroneous conscience Erroneous! Erroneous on both accounts! Conscience that judges wrongly, even after a period of conscientious decision-making.

La, la, la, lah! 2. Lax conscience Conscience that is either ignored or underemployed.

Guilt signals to us that we are not comfortable w/ our behavior! It can alert us that something is Guilt in a healthy conscience should lead to making good decisions. It causes us to rethink our actions. I Want to Believe – “Braveheart”I Want to Believe – “Braveheart”- Robert “The Bruce” comes to grips with his decisions to betray an ally and vows never to be disloyal again.

We should own up to the times when we ignore the morally good alternative or destructive consequences.

Recognizing Authentic Guilt: Feeling Guilty and Being Guilty are not necessarily the same thing! Gravesite Visit – Legends of the Fall Gravesite Visit – Legends of the Fall – Tristan Struggles with his (unnecessary) feelings of guilt over being unable to save his younger brother who was killed fighting in the war My Old Man – The Breakfast Club My Old Man – The Breakfast Club - Andrew acknowledges his guilt regarding what he did to a fellow student and expresses remorse.

Consider… (reflect on these questions on the space in your notes) When are some times that you have felt guilt, yet you were not directly responsible? How can this be an important process for the development of our conscience? Have you ever felt shame (or been ashamed)? Why do you think you felt this way, and what was the cause? Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks

Shame is always destructive. Message: You are not a good person. You are worthless. We are made in God’s image! We are fundamentally good!

UNWARRANTED Regretting morally right actions OR feeling guilty when there is no real or justifiable reason. TOO LITTLE Feeling immune to guilt because of growing accustomed to sin. They lose an awareness of sin. EXCESSIVE Guilt that is out-of- proportion to the severity of the wrongdoing. Unhealthy! Guilt that alerts us to the fact that we are going against our values. Wrongly formed conscienceLax conscience Legalistic conscience NORMAL, HEALTHY Correct conscience TYPES of GUILT…

TOO LITTLE GUILT Lax conscience What kind of guilt? What kind of conscience? UNWARRANTED GUILT Wrongly formed conscience

TOO LITTLE GUILT Lax conscience NORMAL, HEALTHY GUILT Correct conscience

Wrongly formed conscience UNWARRANTED

Handout 4.2 and 4.3 – Conscience or Not Conscience? Many people have faulty conscience. Look over handout 4.2 and 4.3 which includes examples of moral decision-making. For each example, consider the details given, and make a case for or against the decision as being an accurate description of following conscience. Be prepared to share your thoughts during our next class!