conscience

CATHOLICS

  • ability of the mind to know the difference between right and wrong and the impulse to do what is right and avoid what is wrong.

  • conscience is a gift from God and is one of the ways God communicates what he wants to individuals.

  • a person should always obey their conscience, the conscience can sometimes be wrong because it is not properly formed.

  • The Catholic Church teaches that Catholics have a duty to inform their conscience by listening to

JEWS

  • Many Jews would consider conscience as the ‘small voice’ which guides actions but that it is the Torah that represents the ‘powerful voice’ directing actions.

  • Everyone is born with a balance of two inclinations – to do good actions (yetzer ha tov) and to do evil actions (yetzer ha ra). All have the ability to make their own choices, and will all be held responsible for them.

  • Humans are given free will whether to keep the mitzvot of the Torah or not.