A Message from the Pastor

The First Spiritual Temple’s Statement of Purpose.

The First Spiritual Temple is an Interfaith Spiritualist Temple Community devoted to:

• The promulgation of the Soul’s recognition of its immortality and the progressive development of its divine attributes, power, and potentials.
• The advancement, expansion, and awareness of the Soul and Spirit though Spiritualism, Ancient and Modern Wisdom, and the Healing Arts.
• Promoting the unity of all life: human, animal, plant, and mineral.

Welcome to the First Spiritual Temple’s website. As an Interfaith Spiritualist Community, our emphasis is, always has been, and always will be, the Spirit: the Divine Breath of God, made manifest within the whole of Creation. When I say, “the whole of Creation,” I mean it. God is a God of infinite Intelligence and Wisdom. Far be it from anyone to try and figure out God’s plan and purpose, but we can state that we were all created in God’s Image. But, what is God’s Image? Is God a man? Is She a woman? Is He our Father, or is She our Mother? Is God white? Is God black? Is God yellow, green, purple, lavender, chartreuse? Does God adhere to any faith? Again, what does it mean to be created in God’s Image?

Apostle John answered this question so beautifully, yet many fail to recognize the implications of his words. In the Gospel of John, it states: “God is Spirit, and his worshippers must worship him in Spirit and in truth.” (JOHN 4:24). I would encourage all people to pray, meditate, and contemplate these fourteen words. Regrettably, many would blithely dismiss these words of truth simply because they are found in the New Testament. Having said that, I would challenge any person, of any faith, to denounce the truth revealed in John’s words: God is Spirit!

So, what do we have?

1. God is Spirit.
2. We were created in God’s Image. 

If we accept these two statements, then we must also accept that we are all Spirit, created in God’s images, as Spirit.

Therefore, if any house of prayer is to praise and worship the Divine Spirit of God, then it must also praise the Divine Spirit of God within all people; ALL PEOPLE. Thus, there is no room in any house of worship for discrimination, judgment, segregation, or supremacy of any type. Houses of worship should be places for the advancement of human spirituality, not merely places of religious ritual and teaching.

The First Spiritual Temple has always embraced this reality: we are all on a spiritual quest of return to our roots as Spirit. To us, it matters not which pathway any person takes to achieve that goal. What matters is that we are all on a journey which will ultimately bring us to the same place: God’s Great Kingdom of Spirit. God belongs to no Church or Faith. God is Spirit. God is Love. God is Forgiveness. God is All-Embracing. God is Grace. God is within all Spirit. I do not believe that any rational person who embraces any type of Divine Intelligence would disagree with this litany of statements. Therefore: God is Interfaith! God can be nothing else! Some might say that God has no faith. Fair enough. But I would rather embrace a God Who encompasses all, rather than one Who encompasses none.

We praise, proclaim, and worship God’s Spirit; and we praise and celebrate God’s Spirit within all people, animals, plants, the planet upon which we live, and the whole of Creation. At the foundation of all matter is Spirit. At the foundation of Materialism is Spiritualism.

The First Spiritual Temple is an independent Interfaith Spiritualist Community. We embrace Spiritualism as the cornerstone around which all religions, faiths, and spiritual pursuits are built. Our Temple emerged from the resurrection of the teachings of the Spirit, as given forth through movements such as Unitarianism, Universalism, Theosophy and Modern Spiritualism. We are not Spiritualist in the traditional sense of the term; we are Spiritualist in its most pristine meaning. We embrace Spiritualism as the “Ism of the Spirit.” And since God’s Spirit is universal and belongs to all faiths, we embrace the pathways of all spirits/souls and call ourselves Interfaith Spiritualists.

Our Temple’s Fifth Principle states: “We believe in the ministry, teachings, and person of Jesus Christ, and we endeavor to follow his example.” We look to Jesus as an example of righteous and holy living. We do not exclude other prophets, nor do we claim that Jesus is the only way. The life of Jesus of Nazareth is a clear example of how we should all live and conduct our lives: through non-judgmental love, charity, and forgiveness. Thus, we save ourselves by living a Christ-oriented life. Jesus was a Jew, but he really was Interfaith. He came to enlighten both Jew and Gentile. We believe in the person of Jesus Christ; that he was born, lived, crucified, and died in the flesh and, of utmost importance, resurrected in the Spirit, as we shall all resurrect in the Spirit. Furthermore, we embrace Jesus of Nazareth as the embodiment of the Great Christ Spirit/Consciousness, who is for all Humanity.

We do not worship Jesus any more than we worship any soul in Creation. We worship only God. We look to Jesus as our brother, who travels the same journey as you and I do; as we all do.

Please share in our spiritual community by attending one of our Zoom presentations.

There is a place for you at the First Spiritual Temple.

Thank you. Namaste.