Conscience

1. Thursday 5th March 2008 Conscience Learning Objectives: To know what conscience is To understand how our conscience can be affected by our surroundings To be able to reflect upon how Christians use their conscience when making decisions

2. Write down a time when you had a difficult decision to make. Did you know what the right thing was to do? How did you know it was the right thing to do? What decision did you make? Was it the easy option?

3. Most important I make a decision based on… Work with a partner, put your diamond statements in order from most important to least important Write your reasons as to why the most important is at the top and the least important is at the bottom

4. WHAT IS YOUR CONSCIENCE?? • Write these questions in your books: • What does Pinocchio have to prove himself to be? • How is conscience described? • WATCH THE VIDEO CLIP ON PINNOCHIO

5. Conscience Conscience is your mind’s awareness of right and wrong and your mind’s judgement on the rightness or wrongness of your acts. It is your very self ‘tuning in’ to the law God wrote in the centre of your being. Conscience is the mind making moral judgements, deciding whether an act is right or wrong. The Church teaches that you should always follow your conscience. Conscience is your honest judgement about right and wrong in a particular situation. You should always go with that honest judgement. To ignore this judgement is to sin.

6. What conscience is not Conscience is NOT ……..outside of you, not an angel or devil on your shoulder ……...an ‘it’ – conscience is your very self Conscience is NOT ………unchanging, but must develop and mature ………the voice of God, but the ‘inner ear’ to God’s voice Conscience is NOT ………what your feelings or emotions tell you; not everything that ‘feels right’ is right ………based on your law, but on God’s law Conscience is NOT ………only an accuser, but also a guide ………always correct, but must always be followed

7. Writing Activity • Using the sheet complete the worksheet on conscience EXTENSION: create an acrostic of conscience e.g. • C onscience is your guide • O • N • S • C • I • E • N • C • E

8. Catholics believe there are two important things to consider when making decisions • That our conscience is properly formed we have all the right information and facts as well as Church teaching. • If we have formed our conscience, we must follow it in doing what we know is right. God gave us knowledge to know the difference between right and wrong and we must act responsibly Summarise the two important things Catholics consider when making a decision

9. Making Moral Decisions as a Christian 1.Be clear about what the issue or problem is. 2. Seek advice eg: Church teachings, role models 3. Consider the options or possible consequences 4. Decide on how you would act and explain why. COPY THIS INTO YOUR BOOK

10. DILEMMA’S ACTIVITY Complete the worksheet. Fill out the first column by yourself. The second column discuss in a pair how a Christian would deal with it applying the four steps for making Moral Decisions as a Christian

11. HOMEWORK • Find a newspaper article about someone committing a crime e.g. murder, robbery etc. • Stick the article in your book • Underneath it write about what they have done and whether they made their decision using the 4 steps. • Did they listen to their conscience? • Write about the consequences of their actions. Did they hurt anybody? • Due NEXT LESSON!

12. BINGO • DRAW A GRID WITH 9 SQUARES • CHOOSE 9 WORDS TO PUT IN YOUR GRID • Conscience, responsibility, trust, Will, original sin, church teachings, moral, Eve, devil, God’s law, knowledge