Is caution a source of moral demerit?

[fakename]

For instance, if I’m an atheist but I’m starting to think there is a God, but I don’t have enough evidence to confirm it; and then I die, will God punish me for being too cautious or too reasonable?

Or if I think I should perform some virtuous action but I’m not sure and I need time to think it over, would it be unvirtuous to “look before I leap”?

Basically is indecision sometimes, all the time, or none of the time, bad and when?

 

[Margie9]

OK, you have the moral focus wrong. It is not a matter of waiting or indecision. It is a matter of will. Yes, you might be punished for not choosing by an act of will to believe in God when you have the inkling that he exists. This is not “feeling ready”. You don’t decide to believe in God when you have all the theorems lined up perfectly, you choose, by an act of will. “Lord I believe, help Thou my unbelief.”

Regarding actions, again to avoid sin is a matter of will, not timing. However, clearly a virtuous act may require quick action.

Baby carriage rolling down the street into oncoming traffic: you better move darn fast and rescue it. To ponder in that case would be a sin.

A long term situation might be a visiting relative you need to make peace with. There you are lucky to have time to prepare and think over what to say if they are coming next week. A sin would be to not worry about it and say “who cares, whatever happens” (again that is an act of will.) The virtuous action is to do some spiritual reading, maybe consult a friend or priest, and plan what kind words or apology you will extent to the visitor, and to have this ready.

All these things have a critical timing component, but the essence of sin or virtue is the exercise of the will.

 

[fakename]

OK, you have the moral focus wrong. It is not a matter of waiting or indecision. It is a matter of will. Yes, you might be punished for not choosing by an act of will to believe in God when you have the inkling that he exists. This is not “feeling ready”. You don’t decide to believe in God when you have all the theorems lined up perfectly, you choose, by an act of will. “Lord I believe, help Thou my unbelief.”

Regarding actions, again to avoid sin is a matter of will, not timing. However, clearly a virtuous act may require quick action.

Baby carriage rolling down the street into oncoming traffic: you better move darn fast and rescue it. To ponder in that case would be a sin.

A long term situation might be a visiting relative you need to make peace with. There you are lucky to have time to prepare and think over what to say if they are coming next week. A sin would be to not worry about it and say “who cares, whatever happens” (again that is an act of will.) The virtuous action is to do some spiritual reading, maybe consult a friend or priest, and plan what kind words or apology you will extent to the visitor, and to have this ready.

All these things have a critical timing component, but the essence of sin or virtue is the exercise of the will.

Your right about the will, but the will is tied into the intellect, so that if you don’t know what is good or desireable, then neither would you will it. So assuming that you’re indecisive because you are not perfectly certain that what you will do is right, then is this indecision wrong in itself -that is, should someone do something good even though they don’t know it as such (indeed, is that even possible)?