The TLC  Philosophy 

Page Content

u   The Corner Stones of Life

u   In Comparison With Other Groups

u   What We Are

u   Legal Definition

u   The Life Center's Purposes

u   Acts of Worship

u   Spiritual Discernment Is a Matter of Perspective

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The Corner Stones of Life:

In  Comparison With Other Groups:

The Typical and the Traditional:   The Life Center is distinctly different from the common, well-known, traditional, western, religious organizations.   The common, traditional, religious organizations are  based on an exclusive theology, with a specific doctrine and a fixed and unchangeable set of dogmatic rules for the belief and behavior of all its members.   The devotees of these organizations are taught to believe that "God" is a super-human-being who is out there somewhere,  separate from themselves.   The church leaders usually claim their religion to be essential intermediary between themselves and "God."   The devotees are told that without the leaders and the church structure, they are disconnection from God.   

Their church doctrine is usually spelled out in a sacred book.   The church leaders claim divine inspiration and exclusive authority in interpreting said sacred book.   Whatever-the-church-leader-say is claimed, by them, to be "The Absolute Word of God".   Their words are claimed to hold the same authority as if Jesus, Mohammad, the angel Moroni, or God Himself spoke the words directly to the believer.   The church leaders demand that the believers and devotees rigidly adhere to all of the organization's beliefs, rules and codes of conduct under threat of exclusion from the in-group and eternal damnation in hell.  

Religious leaders on the conservative (fundamentalist) end of these religions commonly claim to be closer to God than their followers.   They claim that all other religions are false religions.   They also declare that their theology cannot be wrong.

The Life Center's Perspective:   The beliefs and behaviors described above represent the antithesis of what The Life Center stands for.   The TLC perspective is that:

1)    "The Source of All That Is"  (commonly referred to as God) in so grand, so big, and so complex that it's beyond human understanding; 

2)    We cannot say what God is or how "It/He/She"  functions;  

3)    Our best guesses about the answers to life's unanswerable question are based upon what the evidence tells us is most likely to represent reality.  

4)    We have no theology that is fixed and carved is stone;   All beliefs and behaviors are subject the update and revision as new evidence becomes available;

5)   All religions are pathways to God.   

6)   All spiritual teachers have apiece of the truth; none have the complete truth.   

7)   We honor and respect the visionaries who brought us the teaching which are the foundations of all religions.   Sarathrustra, Buddha, Jesus, Mohammad, Joseph Smith and the like were teachers, each of whom brought us the truth from a slightly different perspective.

8)   You and I and everything else are part of grand unity.  Everything is One.

9)   Either everything is sacred or nothing is.   

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What We Are:

The Life Center is a spiritually-based organization functioning on the philosophy that recognizes God , (i.e.  Pure Divinity,  The God Force,  The Essence,  The Source of All That Is)  in all things and in all beings.   We recognize each other as equally spiritual beings with equal potential to become aware of and practice our own divinity. 

Because no human being knows enough to say anything with absolute irrefutable certainty about the concept  called "God", The Life Center  acknowledges its ordained, "Spiritual and Life Consultants  as teachers and role models rather than intermediaries between the lay person and his/her creator.

When freed from cultural ideology (i.e. theology, doctrine and dogma), spirituality becomes universal.    This quest for spirituality is the heart of true religious training.    It is the study of self, within all the aspects of life --- self study leading to self awareness, self awareness leading to cosmic ("God") consciousness.   As personal experiences have confirmed, the truths expressed in  The TLC Philosophy  do have a profound impact upon those who seek them, study them, understand them, and put them into practice.

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A Legal Definition:

The Life Center is a non-denominational, non-profit, California corporation.   Because governments and other legal entities do not recognize the distinction between religious and spiritual, The Life Center is legally defined as:  "A Church, Established, in 1972, for  "Religious Purposes".

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The Life Center's Purposes:

The "religious purposes" of  The Life Center are:  First, to teach the basic, fundamental precepts (i.e. spiritual principles) that underlie philosophy, ethics and religion;  Second, to teach and exemplify how to apply these spiritual principles to everyday life;  Third, to inspire a gentle transition into a world of peace, abundance and mutual support;  Fourth, to assist in the creation of social structures based on caring, sharing and mutual cooperation  (thus, by natural attrition, replace our current dominator---manipulator social structures)  and  Fifth, to explain and demonstrate why mutual respect and cooperation among religions is an essential ingredient in world peace. 

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Acts of Worship:

We don't worship.   We acknowledge; we appreciate, honor and respect!  We seek the truth, regardless of where that truth leads us.   As Jesus said, "Know the truth and the truth shall set you free."   Our first priority is to seek the truth about ourselves and about how life on Earth functions -- regardless of what religious dogmas may be exposed as illusions.  

With each and every act, when done with reverence,  we acknowledge, honor and respect ourselves, our fellow humans, our environment, all the fellow life-forms here on Earth,  and our creator.   We always function within the context of whatever is right, wise, just and good for all concerned in the long run.   What we do is a manifestation of what we are,  an expression of our philosophy, and  the practice of our religious ritual.

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Spiritual Discernment is a Matter  of Perspective:

Please don't believe  anything that you read in The Life Center Philosophy.   But don't disbelieve it either.   Simply observe, with an open mind.   We are each the final judge who determines what is correct for us just as you are the final judge who determines what is right for you. 

The statements which follow are The Life Center's version of what constitutes the heart of philosophy, religion and ethics in today's world.   It's one view among many.   We offer the following in the spirit of bringing light to those willing to see life from a slightly different perspective than what they are used to.

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