Following Our Conscience - Right Or Wrong?

[thesometimesaint]

My advice would be to do as God commanded as long as you were totally sure it was God who commanded you to do that. If God told you to do that, why wouldn't you at least proceed as if you were going to do that?

 

Because men have been playing that game from time immemorial. Not all games are nice.

[VideoGameJunkie]

I'm a security officer at a boarding school. My job is to get students in trouble when they do wrong, but my conscience has told me to not ruin their academic careers and to be merciful with them. My conscience goes against what my boss and job require I do.

Edited February 15, 2015 by VideoGameJunkie

[Ahab]

This is highly irresponsible advice imho.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2014/05/woman-kills-toddler-while-reenacting-story-of-abraham/

How exactly might someone be "totally sure" it was God commanding them?

By knowing the difference between God and Satan well enough to know that it isn't Satan trying to deceive.

I'm hoping I don't have to make a list of all the things prophets have gotten wrong...? Given how often prophets have been wrong, completely and totally wrong.

I'm not suggesting you take someone else's word that they are speaking for God. I'm talking about getting revelation directly from God yourself while knowing it is God who is revealing something to you.

on what basis do we conclude Abraham was being 1) commanded by God and 2) that choosing to murder his son was the correct choice? There is no basis.

Yes there is a basis and it is knowing what God revealed to Abraham.

Assuming the incident actually happened, perhaps it was an object lesson on what not to do, to not be persuaded to follow false spirits. What is the line in the sand, what exactly would be required to qualify as "totally sure?"

You don't have to settle for speculation. Even you can get personal and direct revelation from God. You don't seem to realize that, but I am telling you that you can.

I personally do not believe that God would command me to commit evil.

That's good. He wouldn't. But you might think he was if you didn't know how to find out the difference between good and evil. Just stick with the idea that God would never tell you to do anything that is evil and that everything God would tell you to do would be good, according to God.

And if I did truly believe I was being commanded by God, my reaction would be to ask "why?" I wholly reject the idea of blind obedience, "I know not save the Lord commanded me." This is an old testament letter-of-the-law mindset which is precisely what Christ taught against. The purpose of the atonement is to become master of the law, not a subject unto it. It is not possible to truly follow the law without understanding it.

Just ask God to help you to understand what you don't understand while expecting him to tell you in his own good time. You'll never have to do anything you believe is evil, but it may take you a while sometimes before you understand why something is good.

[mfbukowski]

I'm a security officer at a boarding school. My job is to get students in trouble when they do wrong, but my conscience has told me to not ruin their academic careers and to be merciful with them. My conscience goes against what my boss and job require I do.

That's a tough situation.

 

Were I given that challenge I would include into my thoughts the fact that they need to learn the consequences of doing wrong as much as they need their academic careers.

 

You don't need an academic career if you don't learn that doing wrong has consequences, and maybe end up in prison because you did not learn that..   Degrees don't help you much in prison.

[Ahab]

I'm a security officer at a boarding school. My job is to get students in trouble when they do wrong, but my conscience has told me to not ruin their academic careers and to be merciful with them. My conscience goes against what my boss and job require I do.

You're not the one ruining their academic careers if you're simply reporting what they have done. You're just giving them the credit for what they have done, and if what they have done ruins their careers, they did it. Just be merciful by seeing their actions in the most positive light that you can imagine, even if they mighr not have had the best of intentions. And you should be able to talk with them to hear their side of things before you report their actions, whether in or outside of their presence.