Scrupulous conscience vs uninformed conscience

[ResoluteSheep]

Is there any difference between a scrupulous conscience and uninformed conscience? Or is it primarily lack of knowledge that causes a scrupulous conscience?

 

[Beryllos]

I am not an expert with regard to scrupulosity, and I hope we hear from others who understand it well, but my off-the-cuff, not very well supported opinion is that there is a big difference between scrupulous and uninformed conscience. One may be uninformed and blissfully ignorant for a time (that is, until the consequences come around). On the other hand, one may be well-informed and virtuous, and yet be gripped with insecurity or anxiety. Information alone is not the key. How else can we understand scrupulosity?

 

[Monte_RCMS]

Do a search for scrupulous here on CAF …many people have posted useful resources.

 

[ShrodingersCat]

Is there any difference between a scrupulous conscience and uninformed conscience? Or is it primarily lack of knowledge that causes a scrupulous conscience?

Yes there is a difference. Scrupulous people are often very well informed but unable to use logic to apply that knowledge to their own situation.

 

[Joe_5859]

A scrupulous conscience thinks everything is a sin. An uninformed conscience doesn’t think anything is a sin.

 

[OneSmallFlower]

Is there any difference between a scrupulous conscience and uninformed conscience? Or is it primarily lack of knowledge that causes a scrupulous conscience?

As a scrupulous person who is also studying theology and philosophy, believe me, they are two different things.

Scrupulosity is often a side-effect of OCD. There currently is no cure for OCD, but IMHO the best thing an obsessive-compulsive Catholic struggling with scrupulosity can do is get a regular confessor/spiritual director. I lived three years of my life in mortal terror and depression because I thought I was a horrific person and probably damned. Getting a good spiritual director who understood my problem gave me a lot of peace, and now I’m a relatively cheerful person again.

The key is getting a good spiritual director, not just one who blows off scrupulosity as “overthinking” or “spiritual pride,” but also not one who lets you get away with your actual faults. It’s a tricky balance, but they can be found!

–1SF

 

[Entwhistler]

Yes there is a difference. Scrupulous people are often very well informed but unable to use logic to apply that knowledge to their own situation.

Quite right. Although I would say that scrupulous people in a sense refuse to apply their knowledge. Having gone through a scrupulous stage at one point, I can say that trust is the main issue. After spending a few miserable years in terror, I finally quit. Life cannot be this horrible and I missed my “care free” life that I had when God was not a monster.