Can You Tell Right From Wrong?

“I was personally responsible for killing about 25 people. . . . I have an image of it in my mind every night, every day. I have nightmares. . . . I can go somewhere and see a face that reminds me of the people that I killed. I can see that vividly, just like it’s happened today, right now. . . . I can’t forgive myself for the things I did.”—V.S.

“I was ordered to go in there and destroy the enemy. . . . I did not sit down and think in terms of men, women and children. . . . I felt then and I still do that I acted as I was directed, and I carried out the orders that I was given and I do not feel wrong in doing so.”—W.C.

ON March 16, 1968, the two men quoted above participated in what would later be judged an infamous war crime. They, along with other soldiers, entered a small Vietnamese village and slaughtered hundreds of civilians—including women, children, and elderly men. But note the contrasting reactions of these two soldiers. The first soldier is clearly tormented by what he did. The second feels that his actions were justified. How can two people respond so differently to the same experience?

The answer has to do with conscience—a God-given faculty that helps us to look squarely at ourselves and judge our actions and intentions. Conscience is our inner sense of right and wrong.

When making decisions, some people fall back on the adage, “Let your conscience be your guide.” Sadly, however, the conscience is not always reliable. Indeed, many have tolerated and even committed horrible atrocities, and their consciences have not troubled them at all. (John 16:2; Acts 8:1) As English novelist Samuel Butler once observed, the conscience “soon leaves off talking to those who do not wish to hear it.”

Can you trust your conscience? The answer largely depends upon how well it is trained, as the following article will show.

[Picture Credit Line on page 3]

Upper war scene: U.S. Signal Corps photo