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Conscience

The Lord gave to every boy, every man, every person, a conscience which tells him every time he starts to go on the wrong path. He is always told if he is listening; but people can, of course, become so used to hearing the messages that they ignore them until finally they do not register anymore.

You must realize that you have something like the compass, like the Liahona, in your own system. Every child is given it. When he is eight years of age, he knows good from evil, if his parents have been teaching him well. If he ignores the Liahona that he has in his own makeup, he eventually may not have it whispering to him. But if we will remember that everyone of us has the thing that will direct him aright, our ship will not get on the wrong course and suffering will not happen and bows will not break and families will not cry for food-if we listen to the dictates of our own Liahona, which we call the conscience.

Spencer W. Kimball, "Our Own Liahona," Ensign, Nov. 1976, 77

Discussion: To be evaluated on a spiritual level rather than scientific. What is man's conscience really? Is it the Holy Ghost? The Light of Christ? Do all men have it? Is it possible to lose it?

Picture below: Spencer W. Kimball

Conscience

I believe that our conscience is that part of our soul, or our own personal spirit, that still remembers snippets of our premortal existence. It remembers who we are, what we are here for, and is the inherent part of all human beings that guides and directs us to know that there is a difference between right and wrong, and what that difference is. If we ignore the guidance our conscience gives us, it can be a faint voice in the dark. I don't know if it ever goes away completely, although we can bury it so deep that we can't hear it anymore.

Conscience Studies Doctrine Mormon

Clearly possessing the Holy Ghost as a constant companion is not the same as conscience alone, otherwise there would be no need for it. Though, having said that, the Holy Ghost also sanctifies and seals which the conscience does not.

I have though about this before and it is a good thread. I don't know if any prophet has ever said the light of Christ is the conscience but they have certainly made the two sound synonymous.

I think of conscience as something within us, something that is part of us. However, the scriptures seem to indicate that the light of Christ comes from the Lord, through space - it is external in origin, though enters the internal and lightens our minds.

There is some interesting discussion of the nature and identity of the light of Christ in the old "Science and Mormonism" book. I gave my copy away, so I can't quote it. Anyone got it?



Dubhdara.

Conscience

I have a book titled, Following the Light of Christ into His Presence. I have written a bit about it in other places on this forum. Since I am at work right now, I don't have access to it, but the thesis of the book is that the Light of Christ is our conscience, and that as we listen to it and obey it, more in doing things rather than avoiding things, we will grow.

Specifically, the author shows that we grow to the point of receiving the Baptism of Fire and the Holy Ghost, which is to receive the actual Gift of the Holy Ghost. It is an actual experience that includes a mighty change of heart.

From that point on, if we continue to follow the Light of Christ AND the Holy Ghost, we can then grow and advance, rather quickly, into further light and knowledge. By following this formula, there is no reason each of us cannot have our callings and elections made sure in this life.

Conscience

Conscience is a learned thing. So, although I like the ideas as presented by moo, I doubt they can be completely true. Conscience is that uncomfortable feeling we get when we are doing something we know is wrong. The key is we need to know it is wrong before our conscience will bother us.

I think conscience is a "God given gift," in the sense that once we have learned right from wrong our conscience helps us to feel badly when we do what is wrong so that it is more easily recognized and is uncomfortable. However, I don't think we are born with our conscience developed and ready to work. We need to first learn what is right. What is acceptable behavior varies from culture to culture and religious organization to religious organization. Depending upon what belief system it is in which you are raised or live, some things will bother one person's conscience that won't bother another's.

Still I think we are given consciences by Heavenly Father so that if we are taught true principals to live by, we have some help recognizing when we stray. I think the Holy Ghost is definately not our conscience. The Holy Ghost will guide us and prompt us, but I don't believe it chastises us. That is what our conscience does. I think conscience is just an internal feeling. Not a being of any sort either.

Edited: tenaheff on 13th May, 2004 - 3:13pm

Conscience

That's interesting - that tenaheff says the Holy Ghost does not chastise and the conscience does. Might be true!

It is certainly true, as far as I can observe, that people's consciences are different - which is interesting as well.

I've also found that guilt and a "bad conscience" can come from conditioning even when the subject has done nothing wrong.

I seem to remember one of the early apostles saying that the Holy Ghost has the effect of refining our emotions and conscience (but I may have that latter part wrong?).

Perhaps conscience is very much connected with accountability - which BEGINS at 8 and develops....

The conscience is certainly open to interpretation it would seem

Yet a part of me reviles at this relativistic view - surely the conscience has come universal purpose based on absolutes. The Spirit of Christ cannot teach something to be true to one and false to another...or perhaps portions or levels of truth give only the perception of such

Most interesting comments everyone!

Dubhdara.

Conscience

Our concience is the name the world gives to 'The Light of Christ', it is a gift given to all men to discern good from bad, I personally don't think it is possible to lose it but when somebody have sinned so much and maybe have engaged to very serious transgressions they may be 'pass feeling'

Conscience Mormon Doctrine Studies

I agree with LDS. I think that people can be trained to misinterpret it, and that is where the inappropriate consciences and guilt come from.