The Human Conscience and the Factors That Influence It
His Holiness Pope Shenouda in this lecture deals with how a person behaves in his life and the factors that govern his conduct, explaining that behavior may stem from the mind or the conscience or emotion or profit or external pressure or the desires of the flesh and the soul.
The function of conscience
He explains that the conscience works as a guide and judge that intervenes before the act and during it and after it to judge whether the action is right or wrong, and that a correct conscience is just and strong.
Weakening of the conscience and its causes
He indicates that the conscience may weaken or sleep because of profit, jealousy, lusts, hardness, ignorance, social pressures, or the submission of the mind to desires, and he mentions biblical and historical examples (Joseph, Saul/David, Ahab).
The effect of ignorance and education
He clarifies that ignorance kills the conscience; therefore revelation, the written law, and the prophets had to clarify what is right and what is wrong, and thus the conscience needs education and correct knowledge so as not to be led astray or justify evil.
Awakening the conscience and means of reviving it
He speaks about ways the conscience awakens: preaching, sacramental confession, external influences like an incident or illness, the work of the Holy Spirit, the prayers of the church, and a discipline of fear as means to wake the dormant conscience.
A living and sound conscience
He affirms that a living, educated conscience will lead to stability of values and not deviate, and that the presence of a guide, prayer, teaching, and a proper fear of punishment are all tools from God’s love to preserve the conscience.
Spiritual conclusion
He calls that every person should have a good conscience before God that is not led by selfish purpose or ignorance or lust, but a conscience that judges justly and is established in love and truth.
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