Magisterium & Redemption (AQA GCSE Religious Studies B): Revision Note
Exam code: 8063
Conscience as the voice of God
Christians refer to conscience as the inner voice of God in their heart and soul
Christians believe that God, through the Holy Spirit, guides them to make the right choices in each context
The Second Vatican Council of the Catholic Church stated that:
“Conscience is the most secret core and sanctuary of a man. There he is alone with God, whose voice echoes in his depths” (Gaudium et Spes, 16)
The Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church (Youcat) teaches that:
“Conscience is the inner voice in a man that moves him to do good under any circumstance and to avoid evil by all means. At the same time, it is the ability to distinguish the one from the other” (Youcat, 295)
There are two sides to conscience, according to the Catholic Church
It is based on natural law
It needs to be educated
Conscience is linked to natural law because all Christians have an innate or natural understanding of right and wrong from birth
Saint Thomas Aquinas believed that we should all “do good and avoid evil”
People instinctively want to do the right thing
Conscience needs to be educated; it does not work on its own. It can be guided by:
The teachings of Jesus in the Bible
The gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit
The teachings of the Catholic Church
The finding out of all the facts to make an informed and correct decision in the given situation
The Catholic Church teaches that people should not ignore the internal sense that they know the right thing to do
Feelings of guilt come from not listening to one’s conscience
They also teach that people can guide and inspire one another, helping each other to see the consequences of their actions and to interpret their conscience correctly
People must be aware of how their actions will affect others and act accordingly, trying to set a good example
Because the teachings of the Catholic Church are guided by the Holy Spirit and have held true for many centuries, they should not be disregarded easily by Catholics. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that:
“Personal conscience and reason should not be set in opposition to the moral law or the Magisterium of the Church” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2039)
The Catechism teaches that Catholics should not be forced to act against their conscience
It is not always easy to discern the correct thing to do in every situation, so Catholics would need to apply guidelines from key Christian teachings
For example, the Golden Rule: “In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12)
Different understandings of conscience
Protestant Christians would not place the same importance on Church tradition when interpreting the Bible teachings
They would value a person’s individual conscience above all
Fundamentalist Christians who interpret the Bible literally would apply only Biblical teachings and would not place so much importance on individual conscience
Liberal Christians would apply the rule of agape love in each situation above all else
They might argue that family and social ideas may shape a person’s conscience, which can be challenged
Worked Example
Give two Catholic beliefs about conscience.
[2 marks]
Answer:
Conscience is the inner voice of God that guides people to do good and avoid evil [1 mark]
Conscience must be educated, for example, through Church teaching and the Bible [1 mark]
Examiner Tips and Tricks
A 12-mark AO2 evaluation question might look like this:
“The only guidance Catholics need is their conscience.”
Evaluate this statement.
In your answer, you should:
• Give reasoned arguments to support this statement
• Give reasoned arguments to support a different point of view
• Refer to Christian teaching
• Reach a justified conclusion
Make a list of the various answers people might give in support of this statement.
Then, make a list of arguments in support of other views. Recall Catholic teachings about the importance of educating one’s conscience, as well as the dilemma people face when their conscience seems to go against Church teachings.
Unlock more, it's free!
Join the 100,000+ Students that ❤️ Save My Exams
the (exam) results speak for themselves:
Was this revision note helpful?
