Conscience in Christian Ethics
Christian ethics emphasizes conscience—the internal moral sense guiding ethical decisions. Newman's 'primacy of conscience' and Vatican II's Gaudium et Spes affirm conscience's authority while distinguishing between subjective feeling and formed moral judgment.
Real World
Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian Catholic, refused conscription into the Nazi army despite his bishop's advice to comply, insisting his formed conscience overrode institutional authority — he was executed in 1943 and later beatified.
Exam Focus
Cite Newman's toast quote directly in exam answers; it efficiently demonstrates the primacy of conscience over external authority and earns AO1 marks.
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