Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

To: NYer
In a letter to Prime Minister Tony Blair, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, and of York, Dr John Sentamu, said “rights of conscience cannot be made subject to legislation.”

Aren't murder, theft, and adultery matters of conscience?

5 posted on 01/28/2007 6:33:36 AM PST by kerryusama04 (Isa 8:20, Eze 22:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]


To: kerryusama04
"Aren't murder, theft, and adultery matters of conscience?"

I think what we need here --- and the Catholic and Anglicans may help us to get it --- is an adequate definition of what kind of conscience we're talking about.

A lot of people use conscience loosely to mean opinion, or instinct, or even a purely individual inclination or preference. The word itself indicates that it's not a purely individual thing ("con-science" means to "know-with," i.e. to know with the other people of God throughout the ages -- to have the mind of the Church.)

Before it has rights, the conscience has duties: The duties are to be formed and informed. Over the years, your conscience has to be formed by virtue, by habitual upright behavior, by thinking, accepting, and internalizing God's laws. Informed means that the person has made an effort to learn the moral principles which apply, plus the real factual basis of the situation.

Conscience is a student, not a teacher.

6 posted on 01/28/2007 7:29:24 AM PST by Mrs. Don-o (Do not accept a "truth" that comes without love, or a "love" that comes without truth. Edith Stein)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies ]

To: kerryusama04
Aren't murder, theft, and adultery matters of conscience?

They are matters of conscience, yes, but are legislative acts in conflict in the area of "rights of conscience" when it comes to them? IOW, is the state forcing murder, theft & adultery via legislation & if it did, would one's right of conscience exclude one from participating?

12 posted on 01/28/2007 10:38:05 AM PST by GoLightly
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson