Bob Schneider wrote: While I believe that divine Providence ensured that at
some point in the evolutionary process creatures with moral consciences would
emerge, I think
it is also true that the conscience is formed by the culture in which one
lives, and in particular by authority figures (parents, religious
authorities, etc.). ... So, the issue, it seems to me, is not of conscience,
but who forms it.
I believe that Paul clearly indicated that all men are given moral
consciences by God. (Rom. 2:14,15) However, our God given consciences are
almost certainly ones which are quite fundamental. They probably only remind
us that it is wrong to hurt others for selfish reasons. Thus killing another
person would normally bother someone's God given conscience. But it would not
bother them if the person doing the killing truly believed he was killing for
an unselfish reason, such as in the defense of innocents, or because God
Himself had ordered the killing. Thus, if a society manages to convince
someone that an act which might normally bother a person's conscience is
being done for "morally right" reasons, his conscience will not bother him
when he commits such an act.
This only demonstrates the fact that societies can influence and alter a
person's conscience. It does not indicate that societies create a person's
original conscience.
The fact that polygraph machines are usually quite effective at determining a
person's truthfulness, or lack of such, may constitute scientific proof that
all people have, or at least at one time had, God given consciences. I think
the fact that some people are such good liars that they are able to "beat the
machine" proves that a person's conscience, if continually ignored, can be
damaged. For Paul also spoke of "liars, whose consciences have been seared as
with a hot Iron." (1 Tim. 4:2)
Mike
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