Religion Exam

secular conscience

Conscience is a person's morals and the ability to understand right from wrong. This guides our behaviour. (angle and devil on our shoulders)

catholic conscience

conscience is the voice that guides us to do right over wrong. it is believed to be gods voice and is our sanctuary

positives of conscience

allows you to analyse all parts of a choice you making to ensure the right decision is made. it's an ability to get away and talk to god and seek his guidance.

negatives of conscience

can cause worry, overthinking, guilt and negative thoughts due to thinking too deeply about a decision which can cause people to make bad choices despite the analysis of the decision.

first principle of conscience

form - we are obliged to form our own conscience. Using gods laws before, during and after an event or decision

second principle of conscience

follow - follow sincere conscience judgements. use the golden rule when making your decision

third principle of conscience

decide - deciding on your choice, conscience does not decide for you.

fourth principle of conscience

review - a good end does not justify immoral doings

what questions can you ask yourself when deciding if a decision is moral

what moral principles apply to this action? How do they apply? What should I do?

what happens when we dont make a moral decision

we sin against god

first step in deciding and reviewing a choice

action - is the action moral and does the decision obey gods laws

second step in deciding and reviewing a choice

intention - is the intention for the action morally good

third step in deciding and reviewing a choice

circumstances - the action might be morally right in itself, but wrong in some circumstances

main reasons its difficult to recognise the voice of god

peer pressure, social trends and strong emotions

what is sin

Sin is a deliberate thought, word or deed that goes against the law of god

three questions to deciding if you've sinned

Which law of god did i disobey? Did I know beforehand that it was against gods law? Did I do it on purpose?

how can sinful habits be reduced

1. The person genuinely tries to resist the habit 2. The person avoids the situation in which they know that the habit is likely to arise 3. The person makes a concerted effort to understand and address the causes of the habit

venial sin

Less serious breaches of gods law

mortal sin

Serious, means you forfeit heaven in accordance to your own free will, deliberate consent and full knowledge

secular freedom

The power or right to act, speak or think as one wants.

Catholic freedom

ability to do as you please in accordance to gods will, using your morals and responsibility to make choices that will benefit yourself and others

two questions to ask when making a responsible decision

do I have sufficient relevant knowledge? do I have sufficient personal freedom?

what does freedom also require

responsibility to make good choices

examples of inner pressures

emotions, habits and temptations

examples of external pressures

social trends, peer pressure and expectations of others

to make responsible choices people must

discover if any pressures are affecting their choices, control internal pressures and external pressures

responsible choices are able to be made with the understanding that

actions have consequences, responsible choices are moral choices and moral principles can be learnt

why people struggle to make responsible choices

lack of sufficient understanding, habits of wrongdoing and strong emotions

what are moral principles

principles or laws given by god used to evaluate whether a thought, word or action is moral

why does morality and responsibility sometimes clash

the responsible thing to do in a situation may not align with your morals or what you think is right

what is natural law

the idea that everyone no matter religion or culture knows the difference between right and wrong