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Freedom of Conscience

'God alone is Lord of the conscience, and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are in anything contrary to his Word, or beside it in matters of faith or worship.10 So that to believe such doctrines, or to obey such commandments out of conscience, is to betray true liberty of conscience;11 and the requiring of an implicit faith, and an absolute and blind obedience, is to destroy liberty of conscience and reason also.' –from the Westminster Confession of Faith (original to 1647, re-ratified in 1861 and 1958). Scripture footnotes at bottom of page. Freedom....balanced by responsibility

The "new convenant" through Christ meant a shift from rules to faith. Today, the UCC interprets the freedom of conscience principle to mean individuals have:

  • The freedom to question teachings of the church and ministers; blind obedience to the "doctrines and commandments of men" is not expected!
  • The right to disagree with church teaching while remaining a part of the church community
  • The responsibility to study and pray to be sure you're following God's will, not your own -- especially if you dissent
  • The responsibility to stand up for what's right even when it takes courage and risk
  • The responsibility to be guided by church teachings and fellow believers 
  • The responsibility to disagree with fellow Christians only lovingly
  • The responsibility to value the harmony of the community more than trivial differences 
  • The responsibility to respect fellow believers' freedom of conscience

 

Churches also have rights and responsibilities:

  • Local congregations and other communities of believers have the freedom to jointly question and dissent from teachings of the wider church, just like individuals do.
  • Churches have the responsibility to:
    • Study and pray to ensure they're following God's will, especially if they dissent
    • Listen to multiple viewpoints
    • Ensure discussion is friendly and respectful
    • Help people come together in Christian friendship even during disagreements
    • Celebrate the gift of diversity in theological ideas and interpretation of God's will
    • Respect, value and celebrate different personal experiences of God's presence
    • Provide opportunities for synergy -- we'll get the best ideas when people from different perspectives reach consensus under the guidance of the Holy Spirit!
    • Provide contexts for worship, mission and study that respect the different perspectives of community members.

Scripture footnotes for Westminster Confession quote:

1. Romans 14:4 Who are you to pass judgment on another’s servant? His master alone can judge whether he stands or falls. And stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand. Acts 4:19 Peter and John answered, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight for us to obey you rather than God.”  Acts 5:29 To this Peter replied, “Better for us to obey God than men! The God of our fathers has raised up Jesus whom you put to death hanging on a tree.” I Corinthians 7:23 The slave called in the Lord is a freedman of the Lord, just as the freeman who has been called is a slave of Christ.  Matthew 23: 8-10 As to you, avoid the title Rabbi. One among you is your teacher; the rest are learners.  II Corinthians 1:24 Domineering over your faith is not my purpose. I prefer to work with you toward your happiness. As regards faith, you are standing firm.

 

2. Galations 2:3-4 Not even Titus, who was with me, was ordered to undergo a circumcision, despite his being a Greek. Certain false claimants to the title of brother were smuggled in; they wormed their way into the group to spy on the freedom we enjoy in Christ Jesus and thereby to make slaves of us, but we did not submit to them for a moment. We resisted so that the truth of the gospel might survive intact for your benefit.  Colossians 2:20-23 If with Christ you have died to cosmic forces, why should you be bound by rules that say, “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!” as though you were still living a life bounded by this world? Such prescriptions deal with things that perish in their use. They are based on merely human precepts and doctrines. While these make a certain show of wisdom in their affected piety, humility and bodily austerity, their chief effect is that they indulge men’s pride.  Galations 5:1 It was for liberty that Christ freed us. So stand firm and do not take on yourselves the yoke of slavery a second time.