Source Analysis Prep

Question 1

What are the benefits of a conscience?

Answer 1

• It gives someone the ability to hold themselves accountable for their actions.

Question 2

How does conscience help us build a relationship with God?

Answer 2

• Emphasises how we recognise/choose God through our conscience - helps us to always choose what is right.

Question 3

What is moral decision-making?

Answer 3

considering factors such as the action, the intention of that action and the circumstances, including relevant consequences.

Question 4

How does conscience guide people in their moral decision-making?

Answer 4

Helps us to recognise that an action must obey God, have the right intention and be right in that situation for it to be morally right.

Question 5

What is the catholic understanding of conscience?

Answer 5

The inner voice in a person that moves them to do good under any circumstances and to avoid evil by all means, while also holding the ability to distinguish good and evil.

Question 6

What is the secular understanding of conscience?

Answer 6

Represented as two voices, one good and one evil, both of which are used to guide people to make decisions.

Question 7

How is conscience depicted in a catholic perspective?

Answer 7

One voice that guides us to want to do good things.

Question 8

How is conscience depicted in a secular perspective?

Answer 8

Gives the idea that we have the freedom to choose right as well as wrong.

Question 9

What is the definition of sin?

Answer 9

Choosing our desires over God’s will.

Question 10

Explain what is meant by ‘sin’.

Answer 10

When we sin we are committing immoral acts that go against God’s divine law and sometimes our conscience.

Question 11

What is the role of conscience?

Answer 11

Guides people to make moral choices and to always choose what is right.

Question 12

Why does a conscience need to be well-developed for it to be reliable?

Answer 12

People with a well-formed conscience can hear god speaking which not only leads us to be able to recognise good and evil, but it also helps us to as people and make moral decisions.

Question 13

What are the four principles of conscience?

Answer 13

1. You are obliged to form your conscience.
2. Follow sincere conscience judgements.
3. Conscience does not decide right or wrong.
4. A good end does not justify immoral means.

Question 14

How is the first principle “everyone is obliged to form your conscience” developed?

Answer 14

Through the ability to learn right from wrong.

Question 15

How can people draw upon the first principle to assist in their moral decision-making?

Answer 15

By allowing people to reflect on their intentions and God’s laws after an event and working out whether what they thought, said or did was wrong.

Question 16

What does the second principle mean?

Answer 16

People must obey what their conscience tells them is the right thing to do.

Question 17

How can people draw upon the second principle to assist in their moral decision-making?

Answer 17

By allowing them to make informed moral decisions even if they are being pressured by circumstances that can influence them to make bad decisions.

Question 18

What does the third principle mean?

Answer 18

Only God ultimately knows and determines what is right and wrong.

Question 19

What is the role of our moral conscience?

Answer 19

To discern whether our actions conform to God’s laws therefore making them right, or if they disobey God’s laws therefore making them wrong.

Question 20

How can people draw upon the third principle to assist in their moral decision-making?

Answer 20

Recognises the fact that we all need to take accountability for our actions and think about whether what we are doing is morally right or morally wrong.

Question 21

What does the fourth principle mean?

Answer 21

A person needs to consider not just the good end, but also the means or the way people go about achieving that good end.

Question 22

How can people draw upon the fourth principle to assist in their moral decision-making?

Answer 22

It considers the consequences/circumstances element of the MDM process.
Helps people to understand that just because there was a moral end, if we went about achieving that by disobeying God’s law the decision becomes immoral.

Question 23

How can people draw upon the four principles to assist in their moral decision-making?

Answer 23

Allowing them to effectively and thoughtfully make decisions in complex moral dilemmas.

Question 24

Who was Henrietta Lacks and what was she suffering from?

Answer 24

Henrietta Lacks was a poor black tobacco farmer who was suffering from cervical cancer.

Question 25

What and how were the HeLa cells used?

Answer 25

The HeLa cells have been one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the poli vaccine, gene mapping, cloning and more.

Question 26

What do Henrietta’s family think about the HeLa cells?

Answer 26

Henrietta’s family was unaware of the importance of the cells and did not receive any many. Although Henrietta died, her family is proud that she continues to produce life.

Question 27

What moral questions arise from Henrietta’s situation?

Answer 27

Is it fair that her family didn’t get any money from the cells that were stolen from Henrietta?