Difference Between Vincibly and Invincibly Ignorant Conscience - Coursework Example

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN VINCIBLE AND INVINCIBLE CONSCIENCE Student Name: Institution: Date: Introduction The concepts of ignorance and moral conscience have long been used in defining what is right and wrong as long as religion is concern (Keenan, 1999). Ignorance, in moral theology, is defined as the deficiency or lack of knowledge that a person is supposed to have. Ignorance differs from nescience in that nescience involves the lack of knowledge that a person does not need. Acting out of ignorance is especially unscrupulous as it can have deadly consequences on the perpetrators of such actions or other people. Conversely, conscience refers to the knowledge human beings have of wrong and right and includes moral consciousness, moral judgements and decision making (Delhaye, 1968). It is the moral judgement of reason in which individuals diagnose quality of the actions that are about to be performed, are being performed or are already completed. Through conscience, human beings have an obligation to do what is right and in accordance with the natural law. The judgement of conscience specifies whether or not a certain behavior is in accordance with the natural law and acting against it is considered evil. Conscience can either be true or erroneous. According to O’Neil &Black (2006) a true conscience gives truthful judgement of an act or a behavior according to its moral quality. An erroneous conscience on the other hand, fails to reach the truth, thus giving false judgements of actions of behaviors. The main cause of an erroneous conscience is ignorance, which can either be invincible or blameless or vincible. This paper discusses the difference between invincible ignorant conscience and vincible ignorant conscience while illustrating how Christians can discern what is right. Invincible Ignorant Conscience According to the Catholic moral theology, an invincibly ignorant conscience is defined as an error for which a person is unaware and they cannot be held responsible (O’Connell, 1978). In an invincible ignorance conscience, an error occurs but ignorance dominates a person to such an extent that they cannot recognize or amend it. This kind of conscience renders an action unintentional as long as the perpetrator of the action had no prior knowledge of the consequences of such action.as a result, the invincible ignorant conscience can excuse someone for an error committed. An invincible ignorant conscience can occur for instance, when the erroneous conscience of a man drives him to have intercourse with another man’s wife. This action is considered immoral since the man is supposed to know that the natural law does not accept fornication. However, if for one reason or another, the man did not know that the woman was married, the man cannot be cared with the crime since his actions were involuntary. The man’s ignorance of the fact that the women is another man’s wife makes the action involuntary and excuses the man from being blamed for his actions. This means that if an error occurs from an invincible ignorant conscience, the action itself is wrong, but the individual is not since the person strives to do what is good. Vincible Ignorant Conscience The vincible ignorant conscience refers to the conscience that allows an error to occur even when a person can recognize and prevent the occurrence of such a situation. In this kind of conscience, a person is aware of the right thing that should be done, but ignores and choses to act otherwise. The vincible ignorant conscience intentionally choses ignorance to act as an excuse for not doing things correctly. Additionally, it may result from negligence, in which vase the action is considered voluntary. This type of conscience becomes vincible because the individual is within the capacity to recognize ignorance and overcome it but fails to do so. In such errors, the person acting out of a vincible ignorant conscience is held subjectively responsible for the action. An example of a vincible ignorant conscience occurs when a doctor gives an injection to a patient, which ultimately causes death. One of the teachings given to doctors in medical schools is checking the possibilities of patients’ reactions to different types of drugs before administration. It is, therefore, the doctor’s role to be aware of the life threatening allergies that some medicines and injections can cause to patients. If the doctor, acting out of negligence goes ahead to give such injections, he is held responsible for the death of the patient. This is because the doctor is perfectly aware of the dangers of such ignorance, but uses it as an excuse to avoid prescribing the required injection for the patient. How Christians discern what is right Discerning what is right is one of the values upheld in Christianity (McNamara, 1987). Although all Christians desire to follow their conscience, the challenge is knowing what is right and following it. Everyone cannot have the ability of discernment. Many Christians have fallen victims of bas situations that have cost them a fortune, sometimes causing death due to the failure to discern what is right and follow it. One of the ways through which Christians can discern what is right is by seeking out the wisdom of the Word of God, the church and the elderly people around them. The Word of God is the most important tool in helping individuals to discern what is right. It provides Christians with the required guidelines of developing the power of discernment. Additionally, a Christian can seek wisdom of the church from materials such as the church doctrine and from older people who may have more experience on life issues and the ability to give the correct judgement over issues (Curran, 2004). Another way through which Christians can make correct judgements is through prayer. Prayer is a powerful tool through which Christians communicate with God (Gula, 1989). Through prayer Christians are able to ask God for wisdom and the power of discernment. Additionally, through prayer, Christians get the revelation of the desires of God in their lives and are able to make the right moves as per those revelations. It is difficult for Christians to make the right moves without committing to God through prayer. Additionally, thinking, reflection and studying can do wonders in helping Christians to develop the right judgements (Smith, 1991). Reflecting on issues such as what needs to be done and what is morally wrong is an important way through which Christians can develop discerning abilities. Through reflection, Christians dig deeper into morality, giving them the ability to draw a line between good and evil, hence perfect judgement. Through studying, Christians are capable of knowing the norms and values of the societies within which they live. This way, Christians are capable of informing their conscience and widen their scope of view of issues, giving them the ability to pass judgements in the right manner.in cases of uncertainty, having the knowledge of such norms can help Christians in making informed judgements, further improving their discernment abilities. The ability of a Christian to discern what is right also depends on the environment within which the individual operates. If an individual is surrounded by people who are not wise and supportive, the likelihood that they will develop good discerning capabilities is minimal. However, when one is surrounded by good people who are supportive and wise, the person is likely to make poor judgements even on critical issues. Surrounding oneself with good people, therefore, is important in helping Christians develop better discerning skills since they mature in their reasoning and can tackle issues with a wider scope of thinking. Lastly, learning from past mistakes plays a significant role in shaping how people handle issues in the present. Past mistakes can help in shaping how a person judges things because they don’t want to be in the same situation they were sometime back. Generally, people come out of unfortunate situations in life better and stronger. This means that they view things differently and have a better understanding of their surrounding and the world at large. For such a person, helping another person in the same situation as they were becomes much easier. Additionally, such people are capable of being better decision makers than before. Conclusion With regards to the above discussion, it is clear that conscience plays an important role in determining good and evil in the lives of Christians. However, conscience can also play a significant role in perpetrating evil especially when it is used as an excuse for doing things in a morally wrong manner. There is the need for Christians, when operating in all circles of their lives, to strive to do good so as to abide with the requirements of the natural law. Additionally, the paper talks about the power of discernment among Christians, which is not vested in everyone and depends on a wide range of things. When faced with tough situations in life, it is important for Christians to rely on the power of God through prayer, reading and meditating on the Word. Additionally, seeking the wisdom of the church through its teachings and that of elders through their experiences can help Christians in developing the desired abilities to judge. However, in all these the decision to make the correct judgements lies on an individual and Christians should use their hands, hearts and feet to act on such decisions. References Curran, C.E. (2004).Hierarchical Church Teaching” in Conscience: Reading in Moral Theology. New York: Paulist Press. Delhaye, P. (1968). The Christian Conscience. N.Y: Desclee Company. Gula, R. (1989). Reason Informed by Faith. New York: Paulist Press. Keenan, J. (1999) S.J. What Does Right and Wrong Have to Do with Good and Bad? in Commandments of Compassion. Franklin, Wisconsin: Sheed. McNamara, V. (1987). The Truth in Love. Dublin: Gill & MacMillan. O’Connell, T. (1978). Principles for a Catholic Morality. San Francisco: Harper & Row. O’Neil, K & Black, P. (2006). The Essential Moral Handbook. Missouri: Liguori Press. Smith, R. (1991). Catholic Conscience-Foundation and Formation. Baintree: The Pope John Centre. Read More

The man’s ignorance of the fact that the women is another man’s wife makes the action involuntary and excuses the man from being blamed for his actions. This means that if an error occurs from an invincible ignorant conscience, the action itself is wrong, but the individual is not since the person strives to do what is good. Vincible Ignorant Conscience The vincible ignorant conscience refers to the conscience that allows an error to occur even when a person can recognize and prevent the occurrence of such a situation.

In this kind of conscience, a person is aware of the right thing that should be done, but ignores and choses to act otherwise. The vincible ignorant conscience intentionally choses ignorance to act as an excuse for not doing things correctly. Additionally, it may result from negligence, in which vase the action is considered voluntary. This type of conscience becomes vincible because the individual is within the capacity to recognize ignorance and overcome it but fails to do so. In such errors, the person acting out of a vincible ignorant conscience is held subjectively responsible for the action.

An example of a vincible ignorant conscience occurs when a doctor gives an injection to a patient, which ultimately causes death. One of the teachings given to doctors in medical schools is checking the possibilities of patients’ reactions to different types of drugs before administration. It is, therefore, the doctor’s role to be aware of the life threatening allergies that some medicines and injections can cause to patients. If the doctor, acting out of negligence goes ahead to give such injections, he is held responsible for the death of the patient.

This is because the doctor is perfectly aware of the dangers of such ignorance, but uses it as an excuse to avoid prescribing the required injection for the patient. How Christians discern what is right Discerning what is right is one of the values upheld in Christianity (McNamara, 1987). Although all Christians desire to follow their conscience, the challenge is knowing what is right and following it. Everyone cannot have the ability of discernment. Many Christians have fallen victims of bas situations that have cost them a fortune, sometimes causing death due to the failure to discern what is right and follow it.

One of the ways through which Christians can discern what is right is by seeking out the wisdom of the Word of God, the church and the elderly people around them. The Word of God is the most important tool in helping individuals to discern what is right. It provides Christians with the required guidelines of developing the power of discernment. Additionally, a Christian can seek wisdom of the church from materials such as the church doctrine and from older people who may have more experience on life issues and the ability to give the correct judgement over issues (Curran, 2004).

Another way through which Christians can make correct judgements is through prayer. Prayer is a powerful tool through which Christians communicate with God (Gula, 1989). Through prayer Christians are able to ask God for wisdom and the power of discernment. Additionally, through prayer, Christians get the revelation of the desires of God in their lives and are able to make the right moves as per those revelations. It is difficult for Christians to make the right moves without committing to God through prayer.

Additionally, thinking, reflection and studying can do wonders in helping Christians to develop the right judgements (Smith, 1991). Reflecting on issues such as what needs to be done and what is morally wrong is an important way through which Christians can develop discerning abilities. Through reflection, Christians dig deeper into morality, giving them the ability to draw a line between good and evil, hence perfect judgement. Through studying, Christians are capable of knowing the norms and values of the societies within which they live.

This way, Christians are capable of informing their conscience and widen their scope of view of issues, giving them the ability to pass judgements in the right manner.

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