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LENTEN Reflections
How to Tell Right from Wrong? – Just Follow Your
Conscience
Is It Really That Simple?
Susan Vogt
Yes, No, Maybe!
Yes, it’s simple; but, not quite THAT simple.
When faced with a moral decision, often people will say just follow your conscience
and indeed that is what we all must do. But how do we hear our conscience and
is it possible to follow one’s conscience and still be wrong? Although
the Catholic Church teaches a principle called “primacy of conscience” which
means that conscience is the ultimate authority and we are compelled to follow
it even if it conflicts with church teaching, the Church also teaches that
we must make the effort to have an “informed” conscience. In other
words, it’s not just a matter of doing what feels good. So how does a
person of integrity develop a well-formed Christian conscience? Following are
negative traps and positive steps to consider in coming to decisions of conscience.
Traps to Conscience Formation:
- Rationalization – Sometimes we so strongly want
to do something (or avoid doing something) that we talk ourselves into it.
We might use logic
to
justify what we want to do even though an unbiased outsider could see the
flaws in our logic. For example, when faced with paying our annual income
tax, it’s
tempting to think, “Hey, lots of rich people get exorbitant tax breaks,
is it really so wrong for me to fudge a little on my income, especially when
my family is struggling financially?” For VOTF members, it might mean
avoiding the temptation to rant about past injustices or the hierarchy in
order to justify mean-spirited communication.
- Scrupulosity – The opposite of rationalizing of course is being
overly scrupulous about the letter of the law while missing its spirit. An
example
from my childhood was the practice of not eating meat on Friday. My dear
godparents use to take me out for a lobster dinner every Good Friday. Technically
we were
keeping the law, but… For members of an organization, it might mean
sometimes praying less “correctly” or putting aside a rule for
the good of a member. This has pitfalls of course but when unsure, we go
back to the old
standby, “What Would Jesus Do?”
- Going along with the crowd – How could so many people be wrong?
For years most adults didn’t think twice about driving after drinking.
Just because it’s common, doesn’t make it right. How could so
many bishops be wrong? How could so many in my affiliate be wrong. Even when
I
am in the
minority, I need to have the courage to use my voice respectfully. Decisions
are stronger when many different voices are considered.
- If it feels good, do it – Conscience is not an emotion. It may
not coincide with happiness, at least not fleeting feelings of bliss. Eating
a
dozen donuts may feel good – temporarily, but long term it eats away
at one’s health. Conversely, taking medicine or studying for a test
might not be pleasant but are conscientious things to do. Sometimes dramatic
actions
(protests, irate letters to the editor, demonstrations) make us feel good
because at least we’re DOING something. Sometimes, however, the action
might be restraint.
- It’s my body; it’s my business – Just because I’m
not directly harming another person does not mean my action is good. Drug
addictions or pornography may seem like victimless crimes, but they not only
hurt the
doer, they weaken the moral milieu of our society. The corollary to this
is that at times I AM my brother’s keeper, and at times an injustice
compels me to act. To do nothing to right a wrong of society or the Church
can be
a sin of omission.
Steps to forming a mature, responsible, Christian conscience:
Although there are probably many valid ways to check one’s conscience
to avoid falling into the above traps, using the STOP method is an easy to
remember framework.
S – Study. Decisions of conscience begin with knowledge. It’s
not so much a matter of being smart but rather making a serious effort to learn
the facts from credible sources, i.e. read what the Church teaches, consult
experts in the field, and don’t just go on hearsay or internet blogs.
For VOTF, this might mean checking the source before repeating tantalizing
but unfounded statements.
T – Think Together. It is best not to make decisions alone, in isolation.
In marriage this means a couple should not make an important moral decision
alone but rather discuss it together and come up with a mutually agreeable
decision. In faith communities it means testing the decision out with fellow
believers and trying to come to consensus. In both situations it includes evaluating
and weighing the information that has been gathered in the Study phase.
O – Others. Not only is it necessary to get the objective facts, wisdom
is also carried by others who have had experience with the issue one is deliberating.
Consulting with those who agree, and even more importantly those who might
disagree, is a way to check rationalizations.
P – Pray. Important decisions should always be brought to prayer so
that we can check our rationalizations and be honest before God. Prayer provides
us time to listen and sort. It is not the same as waiting for a magical sign
from God of what to do, but rather noticing if I am at peace with the emerging
decision.
Criteria for well-formed decisions:
Done all the steps? Checked for traps? Still not sure? The Cliff Notes version
of conscience formation could be summed up by asking oneself two questions.
Is my contemplated decision LIFE GIVING and GENEROUS? A well-formed conscience
does not simply apply rules but brings the whole self to the decision and
weighs how my decision will impact the common good.
That’s not the end.
Decisions are meaningless without actions. It can be satisfying to some just
to keep thinking, and sorting, and weighing, and even praying. There comes
a time, however, when a person of conscience has to ACT in a public way.
It might mean doing an action that stretches my comfort level or is inconvenient.
It might mean taking a risk – financially, emotionally, physically.
It could mean risking employment or embarrassment. It might mean acting when
our affiliate would rather keep talking, or doesn’t want to invest
the self-discipline to come up with a concrete plan. We’d just rather
complain. This is the cost of discipleship.
Susan Vogt is a VOTF Council representative for Region 5. Susan also has her
own web site at www.SusanVogt.net.
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