Here comes controversy. I’m going to take on Jiminy Cricket and the Disney Empire. You remember Jiminy Cricket in the cartoon Pinocchio. He sings the song, “Give a little whistle” which ends with the line “And always let your conscience be your guide.” Good advice, isn’t it? I’m not so sure.

I have my doubts about conscience at least as its popularly understood. Jiminy explains conscience this way: “A conscience is that still small voice that people won’t listen to.” The implication is that the voice is internal to a person. But Pinocchio asks, “Are you my conscience?”And in the Disney version, Jiminy Cricket becomes Pinocchio’s conscience. It isn’t an internal voice of guidance at all. (In the original Italian version Pinocchio kills the cricket to shut him up.)

The idea that people are born with an internal sense of right and wrong called conscience isn’t correct. Conscience is formed. We learn values from people around us. We develop a sense of conscience by our experiences and our reflections on them. I have seen young people raised in awful conditions develop malformed consciences.

I think we have an obligation to help younger people form their consciences. None of this, “We’re going to let them decide what they believe when they get older.” I also think we have to frequently examine our own conscience to see what values we hold. It’s worth reading Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount to see if we are embracing Christ’s values. Following a conscience is only a help if it has been formed rightly.

Read Matthew 5:1-12 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally

Wayne