augustine

• what is augustine's view?

  conscience is the innate voice of God
• for augustine, the conscience has been...?

  placed into human minds by God, so it amounts to an innate knowledge of God's laws
• what does our conscience do?

  informs us of what is right and wrong - we need to listen to the voice of God within us as it is our moral guide
• what does augustine say about the conscience?

  "in whose conscience God does not speak"
• augustine's view is consistent with scripture, how?

  St Paul writes "conscience is a witness to the requirements of the law"
• what is a criticism of augustine's understanding?

  it depends on belief in God
• the amount of what in the world suggests that not everybody hears the voice of god within them?

  moral evil - is god selective or are people ignoring him?
• what else suggests that there is no innate voice of god?

  different people have different ideas of "the good", does God say different things to different people?
• what could augustines view also be seen as compromising?

  free will - if conscience is the voice of God speaking to us, can we really be morally free?
• who else supports Augustine's view?

  Schleiermacher
• Schleiermacher supports Augustine, what does he believe?

  that it's a sin to go against one's conscience
• Schleiermacher believes that to go against the conscience is a sin, NOT because it's subsequently going shown to go against established moral principles, but why?

  because to do so would be a hindrance to a christian way of life - because God acts through the conscience, guiding a christian over how they should behave
• the conscience should take priority over all other forms of morality, why?

  as God is actively working through it
• what does Schleiermacher write that the conscience is?

  "the voice of God within ... an original revelation of God"
• Augustine's and Schleiermacher's view that the conscience is the voice of God speaking to the individual causes what?

  several problems
• if God has given people this guide to morality then...?

  why are there differences in morality between christian sects?
• give an example of the differences in morality between christian sects:

  homosexuality:

  quakers = accept

  church of england = partially

  catholics = against
• concepts of the conscience are incompatible with what? how?

  Divine Command Theory, why should humans have their own decision making capabilities if God has already commanded what is right/wrong
• what view of the conscience is augustine?

  religious