| Profil de jamiebeuOrthodoxy - right teachi...PhotosBlogListes |  Outils  Aide |
|
20 janvier Definition and purpose of a moral compassI've noticed over the past couple of months that one of the most common ways that people find their way to this blog is by doing a search for "moral compass". I wonder if searchers are looking for a definition of "moral compass" or if they are looking for guidance for their own moral compass.
I guess I should start with what I mean by moral compass. According to Webster's New Millennium Dictionary of English, a moral compass is, "anything which serves to guide a person's decisions based on morals or virtues." This could be anything from a book or website to advice from a person or a religion, but I believe the most common usage of moral compass is "conscience."
Now, most people know that their actions should be guided by their conscience. Some take this to mean, "I think this is right," or, "I think this is what I should do." Some take it to an even easier level and say things like, "I need to listen to my heart," or, "I need to follow my heart." This is akin to what was stated in Judges 21:25 - "everyone did what he thought best." I think it may be advantageous to view how other translations read this as well, according to the Bible Gateway.
So, here we run into a problem - everyone is doing what they think is right (or at least seemed right to themselves), yet as the last line of the Book of Judges, it sums up this tragic book by implying that this very attitude is the reason for the tragedies contained therein. So, what is wrong with following your conscience/mind/heart?
The problem is one of formation, which results in orientation. If the conscience is not properly formed, it will not point (or orient) you in the correct direction. Hence, the analogy of conscience to a compass - it must be properly oriented. If a compass is not pointing to true North (or the markings on the compass indicate that the needle is off-North), it doesn't matter how closely it is being followed - you are still going to go the wrong way, and the longer you continue in that wrong path, the more wrong you will be.
This is the apparent role of religion: to properly form the conscience, so it does not go astray. (I say this is the apparent role of religion, in the sense that this is how the world views religion - as a source of morality. In actuality, the chief role of religion, particularly the Catholic faith, is the salvation of souls - moral guidance just happens to be a major by-product of this prime directive of Christianity, which is "you shall love your neighbor as yourself.") Learning the 10 Commandments is a part of the formation process. Learning that killing, stealing, adultery, etc. is wrong, makes sure the moral compass is pointing in the right direction.
Fr. Phil Bloom has a wonderful website in which he discusses the top 10 misleading slogans, #3 being "just follow your conscience". In it, he states another viewpoint on conscience formation. He writes:
So essentially, our conscience already knows right from wrong, much like a child already has the instinct to walk - however, the conscience must be strengthened by act of the will/mind to follow what is right, and not just what is felt. (Back to the analogy of a child walking, the child's legs must be strengthened in order to fulfill the potential of walking, and not just being content to crawl or lie there.) So really, a child is not being taught how to walk (they already innately possess that knowledge), but rather being trained to walk, by strengthening their muscles, much like an injured adult going through physical therapy.
This is why the Church has been likened more to a hospital than a school. The purpose of the Catholic Church is to rescue the lost, heal the broken, strengthen the weak, and forgive the sinner. Hence, by training the consciences of the lost and found, the Church is the moral compass, by which we calibrate our own consciences. The only reason this is possible is because the Church, like the Blessed Mother, like John the Baptist, like all her Saints, is constantly pointing to God, as a true compass always points North. That is why, even before the prohibitions against murder, adultery, and theft, the 1st Commandment is "I am the Lord, your God - you shall not have strange gods before Me."
Therefore, since there is only one "true North" for our moral compasses to point toward, and that way must be taught to us, then there is only one correct, or right ("ortho-"), teaching ("-doxy"). Heterodoxy just causes confusion and misguidance, which causes so many to be lost. (Imagine a bunch of campers lost in the woods, all pointing in different directions as "the way back to camp".) Orthodoxy, or holding to the true teachings of the Church, is how we can make sure our consciences are properly formed and our moral compass is guiding us right.
Thus we come to the reason for the name of this blog and the purpose of the articles contained herein. This blog is named "right teachings for a right moral compass" because of the previous paragraphs. The articles here are commentaries on other news items, articles, etc. in an attempt to show the proper understanding of the issues contained through the lens of Catholic Church teachings.
I hope this answers any questions seekers might have when looking for "moral compass" on google. If not, please feel free to leave comments below. Thank you, and God bless. Commentaires (1)Pour ajouter un commentaire, connectez-vous avec votre identifiant Windows Live ID (si vous utilisez Messenger ou Xbox LIVE, vous avez un identifiant Windows Live ID). Connectez-vous Vous n'avez pas d'identifiant Windows Live ID ? Inscrivez-vous
RétroliensBlogs Web qui font référence à ce billet
|
|
|
