Knowing Right from Wrong: A Christian Guide to Conscience

Knowing Right from Wrong is written in everyday language, yet offers deep and powerful wisdom that one can use in every day life. I feel so much closer to Christ after just reading a quarter of the book. I love it. Get one for yourself and one for everyone you know.

Standing between roles as theologian and Catholic commentator qualifies Father Thomas Williams to write on human conscience's influence and effect. His recent National Review and National Catholic Register articles on Humanae Vitae's 40th anniversary and the "Catholic" Democratic platform referenced how the "still, small voice" influences human decision. "Knowing Right From Wrong" suffers from some uneven writing tone, bogging down in a chapter on "conscienous objection" near its end. But Williams' book (subtitled "A Christian Guide to Conscience") teaches invaluable truth on conscience's care, feeding, training, and purpose. True to his media saavy (he covered Pope John Paul II's passing and Pope Benedict XVI's US visit for CBS-TV), Williams stuffs his book with allegories to isolate conscience-ruled life from morally relative, sand-shifted substitutes. He references pop culture icons Cyndi Lauper and Billy Joel ("Sorry Cyndi, nobody just wants to have fun...life needs a purpose."), classic children's tales like "Pinocchio" and "The Snow Queen," films like "Fiddler On The Roof," and "The Godfather"'s infamous last 30 minutes to demonstrate how weakened conscience compartmentalizes and risks our lives and destinies. Weighing pop culture and psychology against timeless truth, Williams heeds advice given seminal Catholic figure Fulton Sheen as his ministry started: "Keep current, understand what the modern world is thinking about;...then plunge deeply into ...the wisdom of the ancients and you will be able to refute its errors." For Williams this means asserting conscience's roots and necessity against influences from Socrates and Plato (who believed people would do good if they knew it), to still influential athiests Frederich Nietzsche and Sigmund Frued (who argued conscience's moral coaching withheld men from predestined pleasure and power they were to assert.) To these Williams leverages Christian thinkers from CS Lewis to John Henry Newman to assert conscience's roots in St. Thomas Aquinas' "natural law" betrayed by original sin, restored by Christ, and fortified with prayer, Scripture, conscience examination (where Williams provides practical guidance), and simply "doing the right thing." ("The more we obey conscience, the stronger it gets...Good conscience and good behavior support each other.") Williams ends each chapter wih questions for study and discussion ("Is it more important to be smart or to be good? Why?"), and personal reflection ("Have you ever been tempted to relativize your own moral conduct? Why? In what areas?"). These may be worth reading before starting each chapter, as they provide themes and reference points to keep information. (An index and fuller bibliography with recommended reading may also have helped.) Overall, "Knowing Right From Wrong" instructs, explains, and defends human conscience, itself guiding moral excellence and coaching trusting followers to Christ and salvation. Recommended.

Most people are unhappy because they have a great void in their lives: They miss God. God is somebody that loves us always, He forgives us and gives us a second chance. And we must be worthy of Him. How? It is not easy, but we can found the answers in Father Thomas Williams's book. Knowing right from wrong is not too difficult, after all, but we need a guide. This book is a wonderful guide. As Father Thomas explains, we can recognize a wrong behaviour from the very beginning, and individuate the signs. In this way we can act immediately, as we do with an illness: If we treat it from the very beginning we have better chances to recover. The search for excellence, trying to make the best of ourselves, being better with our family, more ethical in our work, more charitable with our friends... Readers will find all this and more in Father Thomas Williams's book. It is a book that changed my life, it will change also yours. Liana Marabini (Monte-Carlo, Principality of Monaco)

"Knowing Right From Wrong" is a beautifully written and informative non-fiction work about conscience. Unfortunately, I can't really recommend it because we're supposed to live by the Word of God and His leadership and guidance. Although I don't think this makes the conscience completely obsolete, I don't believe it should get as much attention as it does in this book. Still, Thomas D. Williams, LC, ThD has penned some very poignant moments from his own memories that make this a thoughtful read. This work also includes questions for reflection and study at the end of each chapter.

This is the clearest account of moral conscience I have ever read. The funny thing is, that with all the examples, analogies and vignettes, it reads more like a mystery story than a textbook. I have long been a fan of Father Williams' writing, but this one takes the cake! I especially like his refutation of moral relativism, and his nuanced account of conscientious objection. I found myself nodding in agreement on every page.