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Who Is The Best Tool For Making Decisions And Guiding Actions?

Decent Essays

1. In the 11th grade, I took an ethics class at my Catholic, all-girl prep school. Although I have been taking religion classes on topics like the Bible, church history, Catholic Social Teaching for my entire life, it wasn’t until then that I sat in a religion class that I actually enjoyed and it wasn’t until then that I felt like I was learning useful information. My teacher, who had just graduated from Harvard Divinity School, knew so much and expanded our minds to entertain so many new ways of thinking that I had never considered or knew existed. She shared with us teachings from many philosophers, both Catholic and non-Catholic. Since then I have always kept Thomas Aquinas’s words that “he who goes against his conscience always sins” close to me. I think an informed conscience is one of the best things to cultivate in life because it is the best tool for making decisions and guiding actions. We come to college to educate ourselves in not only factual knowledge, but also knowledge of different ways of life. If someone does not have an informed conscience, how can they prudently navigate a discussion on ISIS and Islam? How can they understand someone who treats NFL football as more than just what they watch on Sundays? College is a time to learn those alternative ways of thinking. By no means must we ascribe to them, but we certainly should recognize their validity and value. I decided to continue studying religion during college, even if I was just taking one occasional

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