Part I; A case for God’s Existence Based on Conscience

Part I; A case for God’s Existence Based on Conscience

In this first of this three- part exploration, we will ponder the case for God’s existence through the presence of conscience in our hearts.  Listening to the voice of God in our hearts has been a central part of the human experience, not limited to the history of the Church. I hope to open the minds of the young, reaching them in a way that folks with little or no organized religion in their life can understand.

As participation in organized religion declines in America, conscience is likely to play a greater role. What can conscience, and the role it has played in the history of Christianity, tell us about the existence of God?

Conscience has been with us since the very first humans walked the earth, as we read in Genesis 1:27, where Adam and Eve, suffering from the guilt of sin, attempted to hide themselves from God; “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” 1

This awareness of God has likely been written into the very fiber of our beings by God Himself. Evidence of Him can be found in the presence of morality throughout our species. Even in the most isolated primitive tribes, there seems to at least a vague awareness of a Higher Power, some sense of right and wrong, and very often we find complex systems of morality.

Referring to the Mosaic Law of the Old Testament, the Apostle Paul wrote of this phenomenon in his Letter to the Romans 2:14-15; “When Gentiles who have not the law do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or perhaps excuse them.” 2

Many early Church fathers leaned heavily upon the inner voices of  philosophers

As we take a look at the History of the Church from 1450 on then, one of the most pronounced effects conscience has had on the Church came about through the heart of Martin Luther. Matters of conscience, and the impatience of Luther for the Church to address his concerns, led Luther and ultimately many others to separate from the Catholic Church.

As Luther stated; “I am more afraid of my own heart than of the Pope and all his cardinals. I have within me the great pope, self.” 3

Or, as John Henry Cardinal Newman so eloquently wrote; “…[Conscience] is a messenger of Him, who, both in nature and in grace, speaks to us behind a veil, and teaches and rules us by his representatives. Conscience is the aboriginal Vicar of Christ.^{” 4}

Note that Newman referred to an "aboriginal" Vicar, in other words one who was present from the beginning. The does not directly conflict with the Vicar of Christ seated in Rome, for Newman infers that the aboriginal vicar has been with man since before Christ took on His earthly form.

One might even posit that there is support for this position in the opening words of the Gospel of John; "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God". 5

Did  the conscience of Martin Luther perhaps justify the actions he took which resulted in schism? Perhaps to some extent, but unlike an un-churched aboriginal man, when a Catholic departs from the teachings of the Catholic Church, he places himself at great moral peril. Rather than judge Luther, let us instead leave that speculation behind with faith that the matter was addressed between God and Luther on the day of his death. The results of that encounter are not for us to know. We can, however, find guidance on how to address such conflicts of conscience in our own lives from the teachings of the Catholic Church. More on that later.

What then, of the state of conscience in young people today, in view of the decline of organized religion? As psychologist Jean Twenge points out, “Millennials are the least religious generation in American history.” 6

To explore the state of conscience and to make a case for the existence of God, I recently spoke with a millennial, a student who attends a secular American high school. He, like so many of his peers, is not participating in organized religion.

Our millennial seems to reflect the secular values which are so prevalent in America’s schools today. His views reflect “subjectivism”, meaning that right and wrong are dependent on the consciences of those involved, and the circumstances in which events take place.

As Luther, Newman and my young friend seem to agree, the voice of conscience seems to be evidence of the existence and influence of God on our behavior. As Newman points out, there really is a Christ, and He indeed has a Vicar. 

Our "aboriginal Vicar of Christ", however, should never be confused with or supplant the role of the true Vicar of Christ. For a Catholic to do so could potentially be a grave sin. Even for non-Catholics, though, turning one's back on the Vicar which Christ Himself gave to us makes no sense. It would be like setting out on a long journey with no road-map, trusting only our gut instincts to guide us.

So what then, does the Catholic Church have to say about conscience? How does conscience play a role in more recent Church History after the closure of the cannon and the schism within the Church?

The recent popes have had a great deal to say about conscience in recent times, actually. At the conclusion of Vatican II, Pope Paul VI promulgated Gaudiem et Spes, an excerpt of which is included in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which I quote from during my interview;

"Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at the right moment. . . . For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God. . . . His conscience is man's most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths." 7

To listen to the interview with my young friend, click the link below;

Interview with a millennial about conscience

Perhaps there is hope for this generation yet. I certainly pray that there is.

The main purpose of my interview with this young man was, of course, to examine conscience as evidence of God's existence. We do continue on the journey of discovery of God in part II of our three part series. Before we depart, however, let us close by checking in with our current Vicar of Christ. Pope Francis who had this easy to grasp summary the topic of conscience in his Sunday sermon of June 30, 2013;

"So we also must learn to listen more to our conscience. Be careful, however: this does not mean we ought to follow our ego, do whatever interests us, whatever suits us, whatever pleases us. That is not conscience. Conscience is the interior space in which we can listen to and hear the truth, the good, the voice of God. It is the inner place of our relationship with Him, who speaks to our heart and helps us to discern, to understand the path we ought to take, and oce the decision is made, to move forward, to remain faithful." 8

A recording of the Pope (with English translation) is available here through Radio Vatican.

The fullness of Catholic teaching on matters of conscience, including guidance which will prove helpful if ever we find ourselves in a crisis of conscience such as Luther faced, can be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church through this link.What to do in case of emergency: Guidance in the event of a Crisis of Conscience.

1 Genesis 1:27. The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version. Second Catholic Ed. San Francisco: Ignatius, 2001. Print.

2 Romans 2:14-15. The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version. Second Catholic Ed. San Francisco: Ignatius, 2001. Print.

3 Luther, Martin. "Luther Quotes. Rev. James Wood, Comp. 1899. Dictionary of Quotations." Luther Quotes. James Wood, Comp. 1899. Dictionary of Quotations. Bartleby.com, 2012. Web. 16 Apr. 2016.

4 Newman, Blessed John Henry Cardinal. "Letter to the Duke of Norfolk on the Occassion of Mr Gladstone's Recent Expostulation." Letter to The Duke of Norfolk. 1875. Newman Reader. The National Institute for Newman Studies, 2007. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.

5 John 1:1. The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version. Second Catholic Ed. San Francisco: Ignatius, 2001. Print.

6 Twenge, Jean, Ph.D. "The Real Reason Religion Is Declining In America." Psychology Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.

7 "Part III, Section I, Chapter 1, Article 6 Moral Conscience (CCC1776)." Catechism of the Catholic Church. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print.
8 Pope Francis. Remarks Before the Angelus. Rec. 30 June 2013. Vatican Radio, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.