Spirituality Manifesto
Theocentric Philosophical Alignment
No matter what religion you belong to if you believe in God, the creator of the universe you can joined this movement. The goal of this movement is to align yourself with faith in God, the 10 commandments. and Western Philosophy.
Faith in God:
Faith in God is a deep belief and trust in a higher power, often rooted in spiritual conviction, or personal experiences. It involves confidence in God’s existence, guidance, and purpose, and can provide a sense of meaning and strength. Key components include intellectually believing that God exists and then relying on that belief, with the practice of faith often involving prayer.
Theocentric Philosophical Alignment
Placing God at the Center of Wisdom, Morality, and the Future of Humanity
Theocentric Philosophical Alignment is the idea that philosophy, ethics, and even technology must not be aligned with shifting human standards, but with God Himself and His eternal law. Instead of grounding truth in culture, politics, or temporary moral trends, this approach insists that wisdom begins with God, as Proverbs 9:10 reminds us: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
Theocentric means God-centered. Every question of life Who am I? What should I do? What is good? You must find its answer by looking upward before outward.
Philosophical means that this isn’t blind belief, but reasoned thinking, questioning, and dialogue guided by truth. Philosophy seeks wisdom, and true wisdom recognizes the Creator.
Alignment means setting thoughts, actions, and systems whether personal, social, or technological in harmony with God’s law. This especially means the Ten Commandments, which serve as a foundation for justice, dignity, and accountability.
If humans build societies, governments, or even artificial intelligence without this alignment, we risk creating systems ruled by greed, pride, and deception. But when aligned theocentrically, philosophy becomes a tool for human flourishing, guided by integrity, humility, and respect for life.
This website is not about a particular denomination or rigid religious system. It is about anchoring human reason and progress in what does not change: God’s truth. Theocentric Philosophical Alignment calls for wisdom that is eternal, not temporary; divine, not merely human.
Origin of the Phrase
The phrase “Theocentric Philosophical Alignment” is original to me, Norman L. Bliss. To the best of available records, it first appeared in my own writings, websites, and book materials beginning in early 2024. While the word theocentric (God-centered) has a long history in theology and philosophy, the full expression Theocentric Philosophical Alignment does not appear in earlier published sources. I coined it to capture a vision: that philosophy, ethics, and even technology must not be aligned with shifting human standards, but with God and His eternal law.
Theocentric Philosophical Alignment (n.):
The deliberate centering of philosophy, ethics, and human systems on God and His eternal law, rather than on shifting human opinion or cultural trend
The 10 Commandments:
You shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall not make idols.
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Honor your father and your mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet.
Western Philosophy
Western philosophy is the philosophical tradition that originated in ancient Greece and has evolved over centuries in Europe and North America, focusing on major branches like metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and politics. Key figures include Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, who laid foundational concepts, while later periods saw the rise of movements like rationalism, empiricism, the Enlightenment, and existentialism. Its core method is the use of rational, systematic, and logical inquiry to understand the human experience and the nature of reality.
Emphasis on reason and logic: Western philosophy is characterized by its systematic and rational approach to inquiry, making arguments and testing claims through logic.
Metaphysics: The study of the fundamental nature of reality, existence, and being. Early Greek philosophers were often called naturalists as they focused on the origin and nature of the physical world.
Epistemology: The theory of knowledge, concerning what we can know and how we know it. This includes the historical tension between idealism (Plato) and empiricism (Aristotle).
Ethics: The study of morality, right and wrong, and how to live a good life. Philosophers like Aristotle and Kant have contributed significantly to this field.
Political Philosophy: Explores the nature of government, justice, and the state. Plato’s Republic is a famous early example.
Ancient Greece: The tradition was founded by figures like Socrates, with his student Plato and Plato’s student Aristotle developing foundational concepts that influenced subsequent thought.
Medieval Philosophy: Period characterized by using dialectical reasoning, particularly to reconcile theology with ancient philosophy.
The Enlightenment: A period that emphasized reason, humanism, and secularism, with thinkers like Kant, Locke, and Rousseau contributing to political and social thought.
Modern and Contemporary: Movements like rationalism (Descartes), empiricism (Hume), existentialism (Nietzsche), and phenomenology have shaped the modern philosophical landscape.
Hillsdale College
A scientific, literary, theological, political, and moral education is necessary for personal happiness and to perpetuate the blessings of civil and religious liberty. Hillsdale College furnishes these beautiful courses for free to all who wish to learn and to enjoy those blessings.
Human Conscience and Faith in God
From a philosophical viewpoint, the human conscience is not merely a product of biology or culture, but something rooted in God’s design for humanity. Conscience is often seen as the inner witness of God’s law, a kind of spiritual faculty that makes us aware of moral truth.
St. Augustine spoke of the human heart as restless until it rests in God (Confessions, Book I). For Augustine, the conscience is tied to this restlessness: it pulls us toward truth and convicts us when we depart from it. He believed that God has imprinted His eternal law within the soul, and conscience is the echo of that law. When we feel guilt or remorse, it is not just psychological discomfort it is, in Augustine’s view, the soul’s recognition that it has turned away from its Creator.
Martin Luther placed a strong emphasis on conscience, especially during the Reformation. At the Diet of Worms (1521), he famously declared, “My conscience is captive to the Word of God.” For Luther, the conscience was not ultimate in itself it needed to be bound to God’s revealed Word. At the same time, he saw how conscience could be tormented by guilt and despair. His answer was justification by faith: only through trusting in Christ could the conscience find peace because forgiveness removes the burden of sin.
In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis argued that the very existence of conscience the “Law of Human Nature,” as he called it points to the reality of God. He observed that people everywhere appeal to a moral standard outside themselves, something they did not invent but feel obligated to obey. For Lewis, this universal moral awareness suggests that conscience is a gift from God, serving as both a guide and a signpost pointing us back to Him.
Many thinkers, including the Apostle Paul, saw the role of conscience as sharpened by the Holy Spirit. Augustine would say that without God’s grace, conscience can be dulled or misled by sin. Luther argued that apart from faith, conscience is either self-righteous or despairing. Lewis suggested that conscience points beyond itself, needing the fuller light of God’s revelation. All three, though in different ways, tie conscience back to God’s presence and action in the human soul.
From a faith in God perspective, conscience is not an accident of evolution or merely a tool of social order. It is a moral faculty placed within us by God, one that reflects His eternal law and calls us toward His truth. Augustine reminds us of its restlessness without God, Luther of its need for forgiveness, and Lewis of its role as a pointer to divine reality. In the end, conscience is both a gift and a responsibility: it urges us to live in the truth, but also drives us to seek the grace of God when we fail.
The Human Soul from a Faith Perspective
From a faith in God perspective, the human soul is more than just “life energy” or psychology it is the very essence of who we are. The Bible teaches that God created humans uniquely, “from the dust of the ground” and then breathed into them “the breath of life, and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). This moment shows that the soul is not man-made; it is a divine gift that sets human beings apart from the rest of creation.
St. Augustine famously wrote, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in You, O Lord” (Confessions, I.1). For him, the soul is created to seek God, and nothing else can fully satisfy it. All our desires, even when they seem directed toward earthly things, are at root a longing for the divine. Augustine argued that the soul bears the image of God (imago Dei) and that its highest purpose is to reflect God’s truth, beauty, and goodness.
In Summa Theologiae, Aquinas describes the soul as the “form” of the body the principle that gives life, identity, and unity to the human being. Unlike animals, the human soul is rational and immortal. For Aquinas, the soul is not a ghost trapped in flesh, but the life-giving essence that makes the body truly human. At death, body and soul separate, but in Christian hope they will be reunited in resurrection.
For the Reformers, the soul was at the center of the drama of salvation. Luther emphasized the conscience within the soul, often tormented by guilt, finding peace only through faith in Christ. Calvin described the soul as the seat of the sensus divinitatis an innate sense of God that no human can fully escape. For both, the soul cannot find its true freedom or purpose apart from God’s grace.
C.S. Lewis, in The Weight of Glory, reminds us that every human soul is eternal. He wrote: “You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations these are mortal… but it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.” For Lewis, the soul’s eternal destiny gives every human life immeasurable dignity and seriousness.
- Genesis 2:7 – God breathes life into Adam, who becomes a living soul.
- Ecclesiastes 12:7 – At death, “the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”
- Matthew 16:26 – Jesus warns, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?”
- Hebrews 9:27 – The soul faces judgment: “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.”
From a faith in God point of view, the human soul is sacred, eternal, and God-given. It is the deepest part of our being, created in God’s image, restless without Him, and destined for eternity. Augustine teaches us that the soul longs for God, Aquinas shows that it gives life and reason to the body, the Reformers remind us that it needs redemption, and C.S. Lewis emphasizes its eternal destiny.
The soul is therefore both a mystery and a responsibility: a divine spark that makes us who we are, and that calls us back to the God who created it.
Free Will
From a faith perspective, free will is one of the most profound gifts God has given humanity. It is the ability to choose to say yes or no, to obey or disobey, to love or reject God. Without free will, love and faith would be meaningless, because they would be forced rather than chosen.
St. Augustine wrestled with the mystery of free will, especially in relation to sin. He believed that God created humans with true freedom so they could love Him genuinely. But this freedom also made it possible to turn away from Him. In On Free Choice of the Will, Augustine argues that evil does not come from God, but from humanity misusing its free will. At the same time, he insisted that after the Fall, the human will is wounded and cannot fully choose the good without God’s grace.
Thomas Aquinas saw free will as rooted in reason. For him, humans have the unique ability to deliberate and make moral choices. He explained that while God is sovereign, He respects human freedom, working through it rather than against it. Aquinas balanced this by teaching that God’s grace does not destroy free will but perfects it – enabling us to choose what is truly good.
Martin Luther, in The Bondage of the Will, argued that human free will is enslaved to sin without God’s intervention. We may feel free, but in matters of salvation, only God’s grace can move the will toward Him. John Calvin similarly emphasized God’s sovereignty: while humans make real choices, God’s providence guides all things. From this perspective, free will is limited by sin, but still carries responsibility, because every decision reveals the state of our heart before God.
C.S. Lewis offered perhaps the most accessible explanation in Mere Christianity and The Problem of Pain. He argued that free will is the price of love. If God made creatures with the ability to love Him, they also had to have the ability to reject Him. Otherwise, love would be robotic. Lewis saw free will as both the highest gift and the greatest risk: it makes real evil possible, but also makes real goodness and genuine relationship with God possible.
- Deuteronomy 30:19 – “I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live.”
- Joshua 24:15 – “Choose this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
- John 7:17 – “If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God.”
- Revelation 3:20 – Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him.”
From a faith in God perspective, free will is both a blessing and a responsibility. Augustine reminds us that evil comes from our misuse of it. Aquinas shows how it works hand-in-hand with reason and grace. Luther and Calvin emphasize our need for God’s power to heal the will. Lewis captures the heart of it: free will is what makes love real.
Ultimately, free will shows God’s respect for us as His children: He does not force us to believe or obey, but invites us. Our choices matter eternally, because they shape not only our lives here, but also our relationship with Him forever.
Norman L. Bliss, from a faith in God perspective