Is going against a malformed conscience a sin?

[shocktrooper]

Where does the Church teach that one that goes against their conscience is sinning? The reason I ask this is because I am having a hard time not relating this to moral relativism and that our conscience, whether formed properly or malformed, is the arbiter of truth. If going against our conscience is a sin, when our conscience is telling us to do something that is sinful, then it seems to put us in a catch 22 since we are guilty either way. Can someone please help explain this to me and provide Church teachings on this also so that I know I am getting more than just random opinions?

Pax Christi.

 

[Bookcat]

Read the whole section on conscience from the Catechism.

vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P5Z.HTM keep hitting next.

and read this particular part:

IV. Erroneous Judgment

1790 A human being must always obey the certain judgment of his conscience. If he were deliberately to act against it, he would condemn himself. Yet it can happen that moral conscience remains in ignorance and makes erroneous judgments about acts to be performed or already committed.

1791 This ignorance can often be imputed to personal responsibility. This is the case when a man "takes little trouble to find out what is true and good, or when conscience is by degrees almost blinded through the habit of committing sin."59 In such cases, the person is culpable for the evil he commits.

1792 Ignorance of Christ and his Gospel, bad example given by others, enslavement to one’s passions, assertion of a mistaken notion of autonomy of conscience, rejection of the Church’s authority and her teaching, lack of conversion and of charity: these can be at the source of errors of judgment in moral conduct.

1793 If - on the contrary - the ignorance is invincible, or the moral subject is not responsible for his erroneous judgment, the evil committed by the person cannot be imputed to him. It remains no less an evil, a privation, a disorder. One must therefore work to correct the errors of moral conscience.

1794 A good and pure conscience is enlightened by true faith, for charity proceeds at the same time "from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith."60

The more a correct conscience prevails, the more do persons and groups turn aside from blind choice and try to be guided by objective standards of moral conduct.61

(and read too this aspect which is often forgotten:CCC 2039 “Personal conscience and reason should not be set in opposition to the moral law or the Magisterium of the Church”…in other words we Catholic Christians and are thus to live as such…as disciples of Christ in the Church…)

 

[LeafByNiggle]

Where does the Church teach that one that goes against their conscience is sinning? The reason I ask this is because I am having a hard time not relating this to moral relativism and that our conscience, whether formed properly or malformed, is the arbiter of truth. If going against our conscience is a sin, when our conscience is telling us to do something that is sinful, then it seems to put us in a catch 22 since we are guilty either way…

The instances where your conscience conflicts with the Church teaching are usually of two sorts:

1. The Church takes no position on something, but your conscience says it is wrong.
2. The Church teaches that something is wrong, but your conscience say it is OK.

In these two cases, you can always do the safe thing. Follow your conscience in case #1 and follow Church teaching in case #2. Following church teaching in case #2 does not violate your conscience. It just goes beyond what your conscience currently accepts (and in that case it would be good in the meantime to try to study the reasoning behind Church teaching so that you might form your conscience in accord with that teaching.)

The only catch 22 would be a situation where Church teaching says you must do X and your conscience says you must not do it, or where the Church teaching says you must not do X and your conscience says you must (not merely that it is OK, but that you must do it). Frankly, I can’t think of a reasonable scenario where either of these conditions might exist. It would be like saying “my conscience tell me I absolutely must have pre-marital sex”. Can you give a reasonable example of what sort of catch 22 you envision?

 

[Corki]

There is a great book to read on the subject. It is by Pope Benedict XVI when he was still Cardinal Ratzinger. It is called “On Conscience”. It is only 95 pages long and is actually two essay that are based off of talks he gave.

This is from the publisher’s summary:

He says that a person is bound to act in accord with his conscience, but he makes it clear that there must be reliable, proven sources for the judgment of conscience in moral issues, other than the subjective reflections of each individual.

 

[1ke]

Where does the Church teach that one that goes against their conscience is sinning?

One must follow one’s **well-formed **conscience. Not *malformed *conscience.

 

[shocktrooper]

Bookcat,

Thanks for the link to the CCC. I still have questions though. The CCC says this:

In all he says and does, man is obliged to follow faithfully what he knows to be just and right. It is by the judgment of his conscience that man perceives and recognizes the prescriptions of the divine law…

So we must always follow what we know to be just and right.

1782 says…
Man has the right to act in conscience and in freedom so as personally to make moral decisions. "He must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience. Nor must he be prevented from acting according to his conscience, especially in religious matters."53

This seems to be saying that man should follow their conscience when there are external influences being pressed upon him.

Then the CCC says this…

1790 A human being must always obey the certain judgment of his conscience. If he were deliberately to act against it, he would condemn himself. Yet it can happen that moral conscience remains in ignorance and makes erroneous judgments about acts to be performed or already committed.

This says that on should obey the judgment of his conscience and not deliberately act against it by giving into the external pressures. If the conscience is violated and one goes with the external forces, then one has condemned himself.

This I do not have a problem with and understand. What seems to bother me is that I hear a lot of people say that we must go with our conscience and do what it is leading us to do even when the person has a malformed conscience. This has nothing to do with going against your conscience due to external pressures or forces. This has everything to do with one forming their conscience improperly and then following it. The Church teaches that a malformed conscience does not mitigate our culpability when committing sin, correct?

Would you agree that “not violating your conscience” as the Church teaches has nothing to do with following a malformed conscience but is simply stating that one should always follow a properly formed conscience when being pressured to do opposite of it?

In other words, would you agree that one only condemns himself when violating his conscience when he violates a well formed conscience because of an external influence, e.g. I know killing my child is evil, but if I don’t, someone will kill my entire family. I should not kill my child just because I am being pressured to do so by an external force. If I kill my child because my conscience is telling me to, and there is no external pressure, then I would not be condemning myself if I decide that killing my child is not going to work out well for me in the end. And if this happens, then I would not be going against my conscience anyway since my conscience is the reason for the last second withdrawal from the act, correct?

But if I do kill my child because my malformed conscience is telling me to, then I am condemned for sinning against a moral law written on my heart. I am not saved just because I did what my conscience told me to do.

Thanks again.

 

[Bookcat]

Bookcat,

Thanks for the link to the CCC. I still have questions though.

Remember first that the CCC says “certain judgment of his conscience” … and conscience does not equal just what one feels should be etc…it is a practical judgment here and now…I must do this…I must not do that…

What seems to bother me is that I hear a lot of people say that we must go with our conscience and do what it is leading us to do even when the person has a malformed conscience. This has nothing to do with going against your conscience due to external pressures or forces. This has everything to do with one forming their conscience improperly and then following it. The Church teaches that a malformed conscience does not mitigate our culpability when committing sin, correct?

It may or it may not mitigate culpabilty…I would think it can even increase it…

Would you agree that “not violating your conscience” as the Church teaches has nothing to do with following a malformed conscience but is simply stating that one should always follow a properly formed conscience when being pressured to do opposite of it?

Actually no… that section I quoted directly has to do with an errorneious conscience…read each aspect carefully…and note it is regarding a “certain conscience”…

In other words, would you agree that one only condemns himself when violating his conscience when he violates a well formed conscience because of an external influence, e.g.

No it is not stating such…that is not the point…though it does note things regarding being forced etc in the article on conscience.

Thanks again.

 

[Bookcat]

We are of course to form our conscience:

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

 

[Bookcat]

cuf.org/Faithfacts/details_view.asp?ffID=109

 

[Bookcat]

NB: for the Catholic Christian…the reality of the authority of the Magisterium of the Church…is a* part of his or her very conscience*. It is not a foreign outside aspect…

 

[shocktrooper]

Can you give a reasonable example of what sort of catch 22 you envision?

If we conclude that following a malformed conscience is not what the Church teaches, then “no” I can not give you a catch 22 scenario.

If we conclude that we must follow our conscience even when malformed, then I have provided an example in my first response to Bookcat. Either way, we stand condemned, either because we violated our malformed conscience, or because our malformed conscience led us to sin gravely and mortally.

Let me know if I need to explain further what I am trying to get a here.

Thanks.

 

[shocktrooper]

One must follow one’s **well-formed **conscience. Not *malformed *conscience.

This is what I have always concluded, also. I have never seen it written or taught by the Church that one must follow a malformed conscience to prevent self condemnation. At least, I have never read or heard it taught, but my studies have be limited.

Thanks.

 

[Bookcat]

Lets take the one line header question.

Is going against a malformed conscience a sin?

Maybe…

As the CCC notes it can be:

“A human being must always obey the certain judgment of his conscience. If he were deliberately to act against it, he would condemn himself.”

It also notes that one can be responsible for ones error…which one can be culpable for.
Or one can have “invincible ignorance” which can be without any sin (though the act itself remains disordered…and is not good for one or good in itself).

But what if one knows ones judgment is incorrect…well one must seek to correct it!

What if to take another difficulty some suffer from in these forums …one who is scrupulous or has some active tendency in that direction? Will it be sinful to go against that “malformed conscience”??? Actually one is to work with a regular confessor and do precisely that…go against …act against the scruples. Forming ones actual conscience via the direction of ones confessor etc …and acting against what appears at times to be ones conscience but rather is numerous fears masquerading as conscience.

 

[Bookcat]

This is what I have always concluded, also. I have never seen it written or taught by the Church that one must follow a malformed conscience to prevent self condemnation. At least, I have never read or heard it taught, but my studies have be limited.

Thanks.

An erroneous conscious is a “malformed conscience”…see CCC on this subject.

If one knows ones conscience is in error…well one’s conscience will itself tell one to seek to correct it

Of one is oblivious to this fact …and say ones judgment of ones certain conscience says one must do this here and now…or sin…well one is to follow that.

Of course we are to* inform our conscience*…and as Christians…follow the teachings of Christ…the teachings of the Church…such is part of being his disciples…

Of course at times there are those who say “I am following my conscience” in doing what their emotions want …not what their conscience decrees…

and sometimes they ‘fool themselves’ too…

(of course for those with scruples see my above post)

 

[PeterGStanley]

If you have a malformed conscience your probably not be aware of it - you could be mentally ill.Its basically saying the person sees it as being right so how can they know different if their conscience is bent unless someone convinces them otherwise.
I’m sure the people killing abortion doctors saw it as being right and felt justified by saving hundreds of babies from being aborted - not thinking that there were hundreds of other doctors lined up to take the place of the murdered doctor and that murder is murder. My point being its not cut and dry the person may not be aware their conscience is malformed.

 

[Bookcat]

Remember too…

one can “deaden” ones conscience…

silencing the cries…

 

[Stylteralmaldo]

…Can someone please help explain this to me and provide Church teachings on this also so that I know I am getting more than just random opinions?..

Perhaps you are referring to the theological “problem of Emeth”. Emeth is a character in CS Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. He appears in the last book in his Narnia series The Last Battle.

From wikipedia:

Emeth (Hebrew אמת : “truth,” “firmness,” or “veracity”) is a Calormene character from C. S. Lewis’s book The Last Battle (from the Chronicles of Narnia series). As a Calormene, Emeth was raised to follow Tash, the antithesis of Aslan, and did so with an emphatic devotion and loyalty. Nevertheless, Emeth manages to travel to Aslan’s paradisaical country after the destruction of Narnia, and is welcomed by Aslan.[1] Because he worshipped a devil and not God, his acceptance has been controversial with some Christians who disagree with Lewis’ soteriology.

Aslan’s words to Emeth, in which he ratifies the good deeds the latter did even under the name of Tash, are the subject of this controversy.
I take to me the services which thou hast done to Tash [the false God]… if any man swear by him and keep his oath for the oath’s sake, it is by me [Christ] that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him."[1]
The implication is that people who reflect a righteous heart are to some degree justified, regardless of misbelief. This is a cornerstone of Christian theology: one party cites the Christian paradigm that faith in Christ alone saves, and the other wants to account for the fate of those born and raised into another faith. There has been extensive commentary on the question. In a letter from 1952, Lewis summarized and explained his position:
I think that every prayer which is sincerely made even to a false god, or to a very imperfectly conceived true God, is accepted by the true God and that Christ saves many who do not think they know him. For He is (dimly) present in the good side of the inferior teachers they follow. In the parable of the Sheep and Goats those who are saved do not seem to know that they have served Christ.[2]

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emeth

 

[shocktrooper]

CCC
“A human being must always obey the certain judgment of his conscience. If he were deliberately to act against it, he would condemn himself.”

The CCC says this after it speaks about what a well formed conscience should be. It seems this paragraph assumes you already know that a conscience must be well formed before following it.

Also, a conscience is always malformed from its original proper state. It is proper at first and is then deformed. One must form his conscience properly after forming it improperly. So to follow ones conscience properly, we must do this early in life prior to it being malformed. This seems to be what the CCC is saying. Not do what your conscience is saying when it is malformed.

Thanks.

 

[Bookcat]

The CCC says this after it speaks about what a well formed conscience should be. It seems this paragraph assumes you already know that a conscience must be well formed before following it.

Thanks.

They are separate articles and aspects. You will note that the section where it speaks of following ones certain conscience…is the section named “Erroneous Judgment”.

The CCC is referring to everyone…not just those with well formed consciences.

But yes of course everyone IS to seek to form their conscience well…seeking to know and do the good and avoid the evil…

 

[Bookcat]

Also, a conscience is always malformed from its original proper state. It is proper at first and is then deformed. One must form his conscience properly after forming it improperly. So to follow ones conscience properly, we must do this early in life prior to it being malformed. This seems to be what the CCC is saying. Not do what your conscience is saying when it is malformed.

Thanks.

Actually the CCC speaks of forming ones conscience which implies the need to do so…not that it was correct and fell away…

Though it was correct in eden…in Adam and Eve

then came the fall…where much was disordered…such as the intellect darkened…will weakened…passions disordered…