How do we know if something is moral to do?

[divinefaith]

The Church has teachings as to what’s moral and what would be sinful. Many of these teachings are straightforward but when we have situations which cant be solved by those black and white rules how do we know what would be a right action?

This is a general question and I ask it because I face many scenarios where I feel I take a gamble by doing what could be right or wrong.

 

[Pfaffenhoffen]

The Church has teachings as to what’s moral and what would be sinful. Many of these teachings are straightforward but when we have situations which cant be solved by those black and white rules how do we know what would be a right action?

This is a general question and I ask it because I face many scenarios where I feel I take a gamble by doing what could be right or wrong.

No black and white rules.
your conscience and your heart are your lighthouses.

 

[divinefaith]

No black and white rules.
your conscience and your heart are your lighthouses.

There definately are black and white rules. Thats why we have commandments forbidding drunkness, stealing, artificial birth control etc.
But my question is what about when we make decisions which have no straight answer? Can we rely on our conscience? If so how do we understand our conscience?

 

[Corki]

There definately are black and white rules. Thats why we have commandments forbidding drunkness, stealing, artificial birth control etc.
But my question is what about when we make decisions which have no straight answer? Can we rely on our conscience? If so how do we understand our conscience?

We can rely on our properly formed conscience. The key being “properly formed”. All of those grey area issues fall into the same basic moral areas as the ones that are more black and white. Part of properly forming your conscience is trying to understand the “why” of the black and white issues. That will often make the grey ones more clear.

For example, you mention drunkenness. Yes, its a sin. Why? Just because the Bible says so? No. That’s only part of it. When you understand that the sin comes from the fact that drunkenness diminishes our capacity for right judgement, may endanger others and is a missuse of one of God’s gifts, you can apply those same principals to other things.

 

[Iron_Donkey]

The Church has teachings as to what’s moral and what would be sinful. Many of these teachings are straightforward but when we have situations which cant be solved by those black and white rules how do we know what would be a right action?

This is a general question and I ask it because I face many scenarios where I feel I take a gamble by doing what could be right or wrong.

If it’s not obvious how moral principles apply in a given situation, we just do the best we can after spending a reasonable time (which might be very short in some situations that call for immediate action) trying to figure it. So long as we work to form our consciences so that we can determine right and wrong as well as possible and we follow them, then we are doing all that can be expected.

Also note - conscience is more than the gut feeling of what is right or wrong (though we shouldn’t ignore that part off hand), it involves knowing the moral principles and rules and using reason as best we can to make decisions based on them. Forming the conscience means attempting to understand the principles to the best of our reasonable ability to do so. In particular, this means if we run into a hard situation, even if we can’t figure out what exactly we should do in time for that particular event, we should probably try to figure it out afterwards should the situation arise again.

So yes - we just follow conscience, but we also must form our consciences and make sure that such formation contains and agrees with the Church’s moral teachings. But if we mess up, well we are human.

 

[Bookcat]

Study and prayerful reading of Sacred Scripture, the Teachings of the Church, sound moral theology, counsel from orthodox spiritual direction or a good confessor, other well informed persons.

Forming ones conscience (particularly with the Teachings of the Church), rectitude of intention and the virtues, particularly prudence. Right reason. A life of Prayer, the Holy Spirit…

vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P5Z.HTM
vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P60.HTM
vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P61.HTM
vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P62.HTM
vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P65.HTM
vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P66.HTM
vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P67.HTM

 

[divinefaith]

We can rely on our properly formed conscience. The key being “properly formed”. All of those grey area issues fall into the same basic moral areas as the ones that are more black and white. Part of properly forming your conscience is trying to understand the “why” of the black and white issues. That will often make the grey ones more clear.

For example, you mention drunkenness. Yes, its a sin. Why? Just because the Bible says so? No. That’s only part of it. When you understand that the sin comes from the fact that drunkenness diminishes our capacity for right judgement, may endanger others and is a missuse of one of God’s gifts, you can apply those same principals to other things.

Yes, I understand the principal your using. But some situations I cant apply the Church teachings to because individual circumstances come in to play. E.g. whether or not I’m cooperating in sin if I dont speak up about fraud. Thats one example for which I made a thread on, but I go thru other situations which involve the same confusion.

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So yes - we just follow conscience, but we also must form our consciences and make sure that such formation contains and agrees with the Church’s moral teachings. But if we mess up, well we are human.

You’re right. I havent met one person who made the correct decisions for every drama they went thru.

Study and prayerful reading of Sacred Scripture, the Teachings of the Church, sound moral theology, counsel from orthodox spiritual direction or a good confessor, other well informed persons.

Forming ones conscience (particularly with the Teachings of the Church), rectitude of intention and the virtues, particularly prudence. Right reason. A life of Prayer, the Holy Spirit…

vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P5Z.HTM
vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P60.HTM
vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P61.HTM
vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P62.HTM
vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P65.HTM
vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P66.HTM
vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P67.HTM

I dont read Sacred scripture coz I get stuck trying to interpret it. As for a spiritual director, that seems like the best option but we need to decide alone sometimes. It gets difficult to know exactly what we need to do in every given situation.

 

[speakttruth]

If it’s not obvious how moral principles apply in a given situation, we just do the best we can after spending a reasonable time (which might be very short in some situations that call for immediate action) trying to figure it. So long as we work to form our consciences so that we can determine right and wrong as well as possible and we follow them, then we are doing all that can be expected.

Also note - conscience is more than the gut feeling of what is right or wrong (though we shouldn’t ignore that part off hand), it involves knowing the moral principles and rules and using reason as best we can to make decisions based on them. Forming the conscience means attempting to understand the principles to the best of our reasonable ability to do so. In particular, this means if we run into a hard situation, even if we can’t figure out what exactly we should do in time for that particular event, we should probably try to figure it out afterwords should the situation arise again.

So yes - we just follow conscience, but we also must form our consciences and make sure that such formation contains and agrees with the Church’s moral teachings. But if we mess up, well we are human.

Yes I agree, we are human and that is why we have confession we constantly mess up. Being over scrupulous is not good either. God knew we were not going to be perfect, that is why he gave us Jesus, but he doesn’t expect us to expect more of ourselves than he does. If you have the Holy Spirit in you, he will hit you over the head with your conscience if you mess up. We have our Guardian Angels too that push us in the right direction. Call on them to help you discern.
God Bless

 

[Corki]

Yes, I understand the principal your using. But some situations I cant apply the Church teachings to because individual circumstances come in to play. E.g. whether or not I’m cooperating in sin if I dont speak up about fraud. Thats one example for which I made a thread on, but I go thru other situations which involve the same confusion.

I think you are confusing morality with sinfulness. In the example you gave, it would always be moral to report fraud and immoral to help someone conceal it. Reporting would be morally required if you were someone who was responsible (ie a coworker or supervisor).

When you talk about remote or material cooperation with evil, it is no longer a matter of moral or immoral but whether your action or inaction results in sin. To determine that, you apply the standards of how grave the matter is and what alternatives you have available.

An immoral decision may not rise to the level of being sinful.

 

[ahs]

I dont read Sacred scripture coz I get stuck trying to interpret it. As for a spiritual director, that seems like the best option but we need to decide alone sometimes. It gets difficult to know exactly what we need to do in every given situation.

Lucky for you, those links that Bookcat posted are from the Catechism and are short, easy to read, and free from the burden of needing to be interpreted.

 

[divinefaith]

Yes I agree, we are human and that is why we have confession we constantly mess up. Being over scrupulous is not good either. God knew we were not going to be perfect, that is why he gave us Jesus, but he doesn’t expect us to expect more of ourselves than he does. If you have the Holy Spirit in you, he will hit you over the head with your conscience if you mess up. We have our Guardian Angels too that push us in the right direction. Call on them to help you discern.
God Bless

Thanks. Maybe I should say a prayer in the mornings to help me deal with what occurs during the days

I think you are confusing morality with sinfulness. In the example you gave, it would always be moral to report fraud and immoral to help someone conceal it. Reporting would be morally required if you were someone who was responsible (ie a coworker or supervisor).

When you talk about remote or material cooperation with evil, it is no longer a matter of moral or immoral but whether your action or inaction results in sin. To determine that, you apply the standards of how grave the matter is and what alternatives you have available.

An immoral decision may not rise to the level of being sinful.

immorality isnt necessarily sinful I thought it was the same thing lol.

 

[Newbie2]

Some teachings are clearly “black and white” i.e. moral absolutes.

Otherwise we can use moral principles, developed from “Do good, avoid evil” and “Love God and love your neighbor”.

It’s interesting to me that we choose the people we are by our making choices; we can choose to be virtuous or not.

 

[Bookcat]

As for a spiritual director, that seems like the best option but we need to decide alone sometimes. It gets difficult to know exactly what we need to do in every given situation.

Form your conscience with the Teachings of the Church…seek a good confessor to help you, pray for the Holy Spirit, grow in the virtue of prudence…

 

[Bookcat]

Catechism:

II. The Formation of Conscience

1783 Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened. A well-formed conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator. the education of conscience is indispensable for human beings who are subjected to negative influences and tempted by sin to prefer their own judgment and to reject authoritative teachings.

1784 The education of the conscience is a lifelong task. From the earliest years, it awakens the child to the knowledge and practice of the interior law recognized by conscience. Prudent education teaches virtue; it prevents or cures fear, selfishness and pride, resentment arising from guilt, and feelings of complacency, born of human weakness and faults. the education of the conscience guarantees freedom and engenders peace of heart.

1785 In the formation of conscience the Word of God is the light for our path,54 we must assimilate it in faith and prayer and put it into practice. We must also examine our conscience before the Lord’s Cross. We are assisted by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, aided by the witness or advice of others and guided by the authoritative teaching of the Church.55

III. To Choose in Accord With Conscience

1786 Faced with a moral choice, conscience can make either a right judgment in accordance with reason and the divine law or, on the contrary, an erroneous judgment that departs from them.

1787 Man is sometimes confronted by situations that make moral judgments less assured and decision difficult. But he must always seriously seek what is right and good and discern the will of God expressed in divine law.

1788 To this purpose, man strives to interpret the data of experience and the signs of the times assisted by the virtue of prudence, by the advice of competent people, and by the help of the Holy Spirit and his gifts.

1789 Some rules apply in every case:

• One may never do evil so that good may result from it;
• the Golden Rule: "Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them."56
• charity always proceeds by way of respect for one’s neighbor and his conscience: "Thus sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience . . . you sin against Christ."57 Therefore "it is right not to . . . do anything that makes your brother stumble."58