A Question For Cappie

[ThomasPeter]

you said in the question on softwere that "However the doubtful conscience suspends its judgement." what did you mean by that? it sound slike it may aply to more than that case. if so, how? thank you
tom
if anyone else would like to say something, tahts great. im not trying to lim it to just Cappie...

[Carson Weber]

I believe cappie is referring to the general principle that if you are unsure whether you committed a mortal sin, then you are likely not to be culpable because committing such a sin requires full knowledge and full consent.

[Pio Nono]

JMJ
3/15 - Third Monday of Lent

ThomasPeter,

"The doubtful conscience suspends its judgment" is a classic moral principle used to guide a person through a confusing scenario. One application of it can be seen here. For instance, say I want to murder someone, but I am unsure whether murder is evil. I don't just willy-nilly make a judgment about the virtue or vice of murder; I must investigate it and inform my conscience about the subject. That doesn't give me permission to murder people - it just means that I don't make a judgment about it [i]until my conscience is formed[/i]. One does not have the ability to suspend judgment for ever. (by the way, being practicing Catholics, we have the superior moral guide and conscience-former in the Church - if there are questions, look to Her) I hope this helps.

Yours,
Pio Nono

[cappie]

Sorry I did not reply sooner but at the moment I am the only priest in the parish and I have 2 Masses and a funeral today, but I will try to answer your question as best I can using as a source Frs Jone OFM Cap and Adelman OFM Cap and their book Moral Theology. My copy was given to me by my old Novice Master who is now my Guardian in the friary. He used it in his pastoral work and much of it is of course relevant today.

[i][b]Conscience:[/b][/i]
Conscience in the proper sense of the term is a judgement of the practical reason on the moral goodness or sinfulness of an action.

[i]Antecedent[/i] and [i]consequent[/i] conscience are so called according as the judgement is passed before an action is performed or only thereafter. In the [i]antecedent[/i] there is present the realisation of obligation and imputability in relation to the norm of morality. The [i]consequent[/i] conscience is accompanied by the feeling of remorse or happiness.

A [b]certain[/b] conscience passes judgement without fear of error. For moral certainty it is sufficent that all reasonable fear is excluded. It is important to remember that a certain conscience can still be erroneous.

The [b]doubtful[/b] conscience suspends its judgement. The doubt may either concern a fact or the lawfulness of an act. A speculative doubt concerns the lawfulness of an individual action about to be performed.

The [b]probable[/b] conscience passes judgement for weighty reasons, but with the reasonable fear of erring.

The [b]perplexed[/b] conscience is one which,when confronted with 2 alternative precepts, fears sin in complying with either of them.

A certain conscience must always be obeyed when it commands or forbids. If one lies to help a neighbour out of a difficulty, convinced that to do so is an act of charity, they actually perform an act of fraternal charity, and should they act contrary they would sin.

In the case of doubt a hunter doubting what he is aiming at is a human or an animal may neber act, however if one kills another while driving a car, he has not sinned eventhough he may have often speculated he might kill someone one day whilst driving.

There are other examples in the realm of conscience but I hope this suffices maybe someone else with more expertise in this area (and a little more time!) may be able to help. It would be a good topic to explore in greater depth.

[Pio Nono]

JMJ
3/15 - Third Monday of Lent

I feel like a jerk expanding on others' wonderful comments, but cappie's post sparked an interest I can't resist.

cappie hit on a great point - that is, an erring conscience binds. In the book [i]Huckleberry Finn[/i], Huck helped a slave escape by lying and calling him a freedman. Huck's conscience told him to lie, and to violate his conscience would have been a sin.

[i]However, an erring conscience does not always [b]excuse[/b][/i]. Should Huck have known better that it was wrong to lie? A person should always try their hardest to form their conscience as best they can. God doesn't ask any more of us. I hope this helps.

Yours,
Pio Nono

P.S.: If someone knows the references to these two principles in the [i]Summa[/i] of STA, please let me know privately; I think it's in the I-II, but I'm not sure. Thanks!

[cappie]

Is it OK to tell a lie? (like Huck)

It reminds me of the old question asked by the Gestapo in Holland during the war: "Do any Jews live here?"

The factually correct answer is [b]yes[/b] (presuming there are).

The morally right answer is [b]No[/b]