Erwin Nepomuceno Introduction to Fundamental Moral Theology

Configuration Stage I Performance Task no.8

Compare and contrast the following:

1. Clear and lax conscience
2. Free and Unfree conscience
3. Correct and Erroneous conscience
4. Clear and overly strict conscience
5. Clear and Pharisaical conscience
6. Certain and Doubtful conscience
7. Certain and Perplexed conscience
8. Certain and Probable conscience
9. Kinds of scrupulous conscience

1. Clear conscience is confidently and freely, and with regard for perceiving, appreciating
and interiorizing true values and achieve sound awareness of them and their demands at a
habitual level, make the proper transition in one’s actual conscience when confronted
with a moral decision regarding a particular way of acting. On the other hand, Lax
conscience is conscience that is remiss or careless in its efforts to clearly perceive and
interiorize particular moral values or in the process of making the transition from the
awareness of values to expressing them in act. Though they are different, they are both
referring to man’s effort exerted as well as his attitude in perceiving and knowing moral
values and translate them into their actions.

2. Free conscience is a conscience that is able to assume a personal moral stance with
regard to a particular attitude, or moral responsibility for a particular action in a way that
is unhindered or unimpeded so as to be able to claim full responsibility for a particular
attitude or action, while Unfree Conscience is a kind wherein one’s moral attitude or
responsibility for a particular action is to a greater or lesser degree, hindered or impeded
by some obstacle or influence. These both refer to the situation of man’s freedom where
his conscience works and needs to make a moral decision and action.

3. Correct conscience is a conscience situated where one’s subjective perceptions,

discernments, dictates and decisions of conscience are in conformity with the objective
moral values and demands that one is thriving to possess and to express in one’s personal
actions. Meanwhile, Erroneous Conscience is a conscience that lacks conformity with
truth and it can be invicibly or vincibly. It is invicibly erroneous conscience because it is
inculpable, since the person has no awareness of the possibility of error, and it is vincibly
erroneous conscience is culpable because with some good will its error could be
corrected. Though different, both these types of conscience are in relation to the objective
values, the one is in compliance and the other is the other side.
4. Clear conscience again is confidently and freely, and with regard for perceiving,
appreciating and interiorizing true values and achieve sound awareness of them and their
demands at a habitual level while Overly strict conscience is a conscience that tends to
judge moral obligations too harshly, especially in an excessively legalistic way, adhering
more to the letter than the spirit of the law as it were. The former is free in dealing the
moral values while the latter is burdened in complying with these. Both these are the
same when we are speaking the person’s attitude when it comes to conscience’ dealing
with moral values.

5. Clear and Pharisaical conscience is a conscience which may gloss over even important
moral demands that should make a claim on a person’s conscience, such as the demands
of charity, while giving undue emphasis to the smallest details in fulfilling the demands
of the law. It tends to be self-righteous, as far as one’s own moral evaluation is concern,
while tending to be judgmental towards others, making unwarranted conclusions on the
basis of external observance of the law. Unlike this, Clear conscience concerns not the
exultation of the doer of the action but the knowledge the true values and the proper
transition of one’s conscience into one’s act. Also, these two are speaking the moral
attitude of a person when it comes to dealing with moral values and judgment of actions
and decisions.

6. Doubtful conscience is a conscience that lacks sufficient evidence to make a secure

judgment and it also suspends the judgment of an action and it should be omitted. Clear
conscience on the other hand, has a high degree of certitude when in comes to knowledge
and evidences that supports the right judgment of an action. These both also tells us about
the certitude of knowledge of the moral principle when it comes in making judgment
about the moral goodness of actions.

7. Perplexed conscience is one judge’s things to be equally wrong to act in a particular way
or to refrain from acting; or when confronted with only two possible ways fo acting, one
finds that neither one presents a morally acceptable way, and therefore one cannot make a
morally good choice. It is a type of erroneous conscience which, in a conflict of duties,
fears sin in whatever choice it makes. Different from this is the Clear Conscience that is
confidently and freely judges the morality behind things and acts properly as a response
to it. These two are related when in comes to the certitude of the knowledge of the
goodness of decisions and actions.

8. Probable conscience is the conscience that arrives at the point where it finds security in
its own formation of a moral attitude at the habitual level or of a practical level at the
actual level, even while still admitting the possibility that the opposite may be true. It is
not the same with Clear Conscience that is not only dependent to the subjective
judgement, it also acknowledges the value of the objective moral values. Another is that
clear conscience has a high degree of certitude when it comes to moral judgement of
 actions and decisions. Again, the similarity between the two is about the moral attitudes
of a person’s conscience and the certitude about the morality of their actions.
9. Kinds of scrupulous conscience:
Scrupulous conscience maybe classified as:
a. Scrupulous conscience due to ignorance Catholic Moral Teaching.
b. Scrupulous conscience due to pride in one’s own judgment.
c. Scrupulous conscience due to lack of trust in God.