As narrated in the Bible, during creation God imprinted into
the nature of man His Divine Image, which draws man toward everything that is
morally good and averts him from everything that is morally evil. This inner
law works through the voice of conscience, which justly is called the voice of
God in man. Because it is an integral part of human nature, it is active in all
people - regardless of their age, race, education, or development.
Indeed, studying the culture and customs of past
and present nations, one notes that all people, even the most primitive tribes,
distinguish between what is good and what is bad, between good man and evil
man, between virtue and vice. They are all agreed on this: that the good is
worth striving for, that evil be shunned, and that the one deserves praise, the
other, blame. Though in individual cases they may not be one in denominating
the same thing good or evil, they are nevertheless agreed as to the general
principle that good is to be done and evil avoided. The occasional discrepancy
in labeling some actions as good or evil seems to come from the particular
circumstances in which a given nation develops. It is a universally recognized
principle that one should not do to others what he would not wish them to do to
him. Vice everywhere seeks to hide itself or at least to put on the mask of
virtue.
The Apostle Paul in his epistle to the Romans
explains in some detail how moral law works in man. The Apostle reproaches
those who know the written Law of God but willfully violate it. He contrasts
them with the pagans who "not having a written Law, naturally observe
the prescriptions of the Law. By this they show that the process of the Law is
written in their hearts which is witnessed by their conscience and thoughts,
which either punish or justify one another" (Rom. 1:14-15). According to St. Paul, on the forthcoming Judgment Day God
will judge men not only according to their faith, but also according to their conscience. Thus even the pagans may be saved if their conscience will
witness to God their righteous life.
In general, conscience is a very sensitive moral
evaluator - especially in children and young people, who are still pure and
innocent. If we were not stained by sin, we would not need any external
guidance, and conscience alone could precisely direct our behavior. The
necessity for written law arose from original sin when man, dimmed by passion,
failed to hear clearly the inner voice. In the present condition, both the
written law and the inner natural law of conscience are needed; and they both
speak of the same: "Do unto others as you would like them to do unto
you" (Matt. 7:12).
In daily relationships with people, we
subconsciously trust the conscience more than written laws and regulations.
Indeed, it is impossible to have laws for every imaginable situation and to
foresee how to preclude any attempts at breaking them. After all, shrewd people
manage to twist and manipulate even the clearest of laws. So we hope that
conscience, which works inside every person, will compel the person we are
dealing with to do what is morally good and just.
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