Does man know right from wrong?

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billcu1

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As I see it without God speaking to us. Man seems to be lost. Not even knowing right from wrong. Is this what catholicism teaches?
 
billcu1 said:
As I see it without God speaking to us. Man seems to be lost. Not even knowing right from wrong. Is this what catholicism teaches?
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That depends what you mean by “speaking to us.” If you’re referring to special revelations of God to man, like visions and other such supernatural communications, then no; it’s not required to know right from wrong.

If, on the other hand, you mean that God must give us continual grace, so that we can properly understand the difference between right and wrong, then yes. That’s right.
 
If man is rational, he can discern right from wrong because the natural law reveals itself in his conscience and his conscience is a part of the mind and the mind allows man to think.
 
We inherently know right from wrong, but unfortunately we are also good at rationalizing things to avoid the Truth when falling short of virtue.
 
RedFox0456 said:
We inherently know right from wrong, but unfortunately we are also good at rationalizing things to avoid the Truth when falling short of virtue.
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I agree! Man knows, we just find every excuse under the sun to justify why we do what we want.
 
Some people do seem to know what’s right and wrong with very little instruction. But most people don’t. Children have to be taught what’s right and wrong. And ultimately this knowledge comes from God.
 
andyklein said:
If man is rational, he can discern right from wrong because the natural law reveals itself in his conscience and his conscience is a part of the mind and the mind allows man to think.
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I thought only a well formed conscious formed by right teaching was trustworthy. Like being in grace?
 
billcu1 said:
As I see it without God speaking to us. Man seems to be lost. Not even knowing right from wrong. Is this what catholicism teaches?
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Hi Billcu,

As St. Paul teaches in the second chapter of his Epistle to the Romans, man indeed does know right from wrong. He teaches that the Law is written on our hearts and so that those without explicit knowledge of the Law (i.e. The Pentateuch or ‘Old Testament’) still know right from wrong and are “…judged accordingly”.
 
billcu1 said:
I thought only a well formed conscious formed by right teaching was trustworthy. Like being in grace?
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Then by modus tollens, he wouldn’t be rational. But you cannot change nature, so the moral law is embedded into him, and it guides his every action.
 
I thought CCC taught only a properly formed conscious was trustworthy. I don’t know maybe something like that. I know there’s sure a moral decline.
 
mytruepower2 said:
If, on the other hand, you mean that God must give us continual grace, so that we can properly understand the difference between right and wrong, then yes. That’s right.
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Agreed. I also think it goes day by day and deed by deed, rather than a sweeping knowing. On our own are quite capable of being blind to our mistakes.
 
CCC 1954 … “The natural law is written and engraved in the soul of each and every man, because it is human reason ordaining him to do good and forbidding him to sin . . . But this command of human reason would not have the force of law if it were not the voice and interpreter of a higher reason to which our spirit and our freedom must be submitted.” (Leo XIII, Libertas praestantissimum, 597)

1960 The precepts of natural law are not perceived by everyone clearly and immediately. In the present situation sinful man needs grace and revelation so moral and religious truths may be known “by everyone with facility, with firm certainty and with no admixture of error” (Pius XII, Humani generis: DS 3876; cf. Dei Filius 2: DS 3005). …
 
billcu1 said:
I thought CCC taught only a properly formed conscious was trustworthy. I don’t know maybe something like that. I know there’s sure a moral decline.
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Ok, so what does everyone think about attending mass every week? No doubt it is what God wants, however it is not what every catholic does. I heard that if the church (ie. priests) stopped preaching re the necessity / command of weekly mass attendance, & it was not taught elsewhere, that people (catholics) were not as culpable if they did not attend weekly. Therefore if on the surface it appears there is a moral decline, then the individuals may not be as culpable for this, as what might otherwise appear. So, they may not end up in Hell, but they nevertheless miss out on the full quality of ‘life’ on earth that Christ came to give us.
 
Joy2day said:
Ok, so what does everyone think about attending mass every week? No doubt it is what God wants, however it is not what every catholic does. I heard that if the church (ie. priests) stopped preaching re the necessity / command of weekly mass attendance, & it was not taught elsewhere, that people (catholics) were not as culpable if they did not attend weekly. Therefore if on the surface it appears there is a moral decline, then the individuals may not be as culpable for this, as what might otherwise appear. So, they may not end up in Hell, but they nevertheless miss out on the full quality of ‘life’ on earth that Christ came to give us.
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I have never once heard that going weekly was not necessary. Not going weekly doesn’t make a person who knows they should be going any less culpable for their sins (of which failure to attend mass is one).
 
Joy2day said:
attending mass every week?
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The general obligation to give God his due is written on the heart of man; however, we cannot know apart from special revelation what precisely his demands are (e.g. what kind of sacrifice to offer, what day of the week, etc.). Since we learn of this special revelation from the Church, and largely through our parish priest, yes, their preaching (or lack thereof) *could *affect culpability.

That is not, however, the *only *way we learn of the precepts that belong to special revelation. We also learn from our parents, from our catechist, from books, from the life of the Church, etc. Sometimes, however, those elements too can be sorely lacking, in which case, again, culpability *could *be affected.

But the importance of Sunday worship, if not the precept explicitly, is so well known that I do not think the average person who ignores it can be considered without excuse. It goes against reason to belong to a religion and not practice it.
 
I’m a little confused. Ok then what I am hearing is that if God didn’t say homosexuality was wrong then homosexuals would know on their own it was a sinful act and not partake in homosexual sins right? Because it is written in the heart. So we really don’t need to hear from the Word to know what’s wrong from right and people would automatically know not to do what Onan did.
 
billcu1 said:
I’m a little confused. Ok then what I am hearing is that if God didn’t say homosexuality was wrong then homosexuals would know on their own it was a sinful act and not partake in homosexual sins right? Because it is written in the heart. So we really don’t need to hear from the Word to know what’s wrong from right and people would automatically know not to do what Onan did.
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I believe they do know its wrong, it may be buried deep deep within that person, but they have a conscience just like everyone else, so this being the case, I think they all know its wrong, but they will never admit this, and are content with choosing their own path and also happy to let everyone else know the path they have choosen. They try to justify it using references to mans laws, but again, deep down, they know it is morally wrong in Gods eyes.
 
As I see it without God speaking to us. Man seems to be lost. Not even knowing right from wrong. Is this what catholicism teaches?
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We know right from wrong. We may not all induvidually know how to act in every possible situation, but we can tell the difference between good and evil.
 
Mark 4:11 and 12 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

What does this scripture mean, and does it pertain to this discussion?
 
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