By Victor M Fontane
Conscience, perceived from a religious point of view, is an individual's knowledge of good and evil.
According to Christianity: In Christianity, conscience would be the "voice of God" that analyzes whether what a person does is right or wrong. He is guided by the voice of conscience. This makes responsible human behavior possible. At the moment that we are faced with an option that compromises the conscience of each one of us, it is what allows us to point out, then, that moral conscience is the process of salvation of the human person. In Christianity we compare actions with those of Jesus Christ, what he would do, in our place. Conscience is the knowledge of morality, morality is the acts of the human being regarding good and evil.
Catholic church: According to Catholicism, moral conscience is a judgment of reason by which the human person recognizes the moral quality of a specific act that he plans to do, is doing or has done. In everything he says and does, man is obliged to faithfully follow what he knows to be just and right. Through the dictates of his conscience, man perceives and recognizes the prescriptions of divine law.1 (GS 16) "Conscience is the most secret nucleus and the sanctuary of man, in which he feels alone with God, whose voice resonates in its most intimate space. It is conscience that, in an admirable way, makes known that law (which warns it that it must love and practice good and that it must avoid evil: do this and avoid that. ) whose fulfillment consists in the love of God and neighbor."
Other Churches: Some churches consider following one's conscience as important as obeying civil and religious authority. This can lead to moral dilemmas. "Should I obey my church, militia, or political leader or should I follow my own perception of right and wrong? "
According to Buddhism: In other religions or philosophical traditions– such as Buddhism and Zen Buddhism – consciousness is something that must be awakened: the awakening of consciousness is more important than the mere application of dogmas or the following of beliefs as fixed rules of thought. Consciousness must be creative. One can speak of the distinction between individual or ego consciousness, and cosmic or universal consciousness. Religious practice would be aimed at directing the consciousness of the ego towards a greater consciousness, through meditation.
According to Hinduism: Consciousness is an eternal quality (that is, without beginning or end) that the spiritual soul possesses. Consciousness does not increase or decrease, it only focuses on something. In the spiritual context consciousness is directed to some form of God or to the omnipresent divine energy. Thus, ichchha, jnana, and kriya are three shakties of consciousness, or energies, that are said to manifest in the universe :
Ichchha shakti: The energy of desire or intention to manifest a reality.
Jnana shakti: The energy of knowledge or plan to realize that intention
Kriya shakti: The energy of action to bring that intention to fruition Ichcha shakti is desire, gyana shakti is the power of knowledge and kriya shakti is the power to act. Some people have lots of kriya shakti, but lack gyana shakti. They have the power to act, but there is no knowledge of what to do.
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