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Religion

A variety of beliefs welcomed

The Temple of the Living God marks its 45th anniversary. It embraces astrology, the supernatural and spiritualism.

By WAVENEY ANN MOORE
Published September 25, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - The Rev. LeRoy E. Zemke's church hosts day-long psychic fairs and offers classes in astrology, palmistry and amazing asteroids.

While traditionalists might argue otherwise, Zemke describes his Temple of the Living God of St. Petersburg as a Christian church. Christian scriptures, though, make up just a portion of the church's canon.

"We really espouse Christ's teaching in the largest sense of the word, but we are open to other sacred traditions," said Zemke, 67.

Evidence of the congregation's eclectic tenets are evident in the religious artifacts displayed in Zemke's office. A statue of Buddha joins one of Quan Yen, the Buddhist goddess of mercy, a framed print of Christ and a copy of a Botticelli icon of Mary.

The church at 1950 Second Ave. N attracts people of different faiths, Zemke said, among them Hindus, Christians of various denominations and Jews.

"We don't have one dogma," he said. "With the multiplicity of world religions, we see that there are many ways to reference God and I believe that everyone is ultimately talking about the same God, though there may be many forms and faces in the way in which it is presented."

The church, where attendance ranges from 85 to 150 on Sundays, will celebrate its 45th anniversary today. Guest speaker Page Bryant will talk about "The Star Religion of Ancient Egypt" at the 11 a.m. service. On Monday and Tuesday at 7 p.m., she will hold a workshop: "How to recognize and deal with the invisible forces and energies in everyday life."

Asked to account for the congregation's longevity in St. Petersburg, Zemke said in a large community "there's always a group of men and women who are looking for a way to understand their relationship to the sacred, to the divine, that is outside the mainstream thinking or belief structure."

Temple of the Living God offers that "in a continuous fashion, hopefully in a fresh and original manner," he said. "I think we also attempt to indicate something of our mystical nature by exploring the intuitive, psychic realms in a safe and nurturing atmosphere."

At the church one recent weekday afternoon, ethereal music floated from a small bookstore near the entrance. Books about auras, dreams, psychic studies, reincarnation and world religions lined the shelves. There were also Bibles, copies of Zemke's book, Thoughts for Transformation, and items such as smudge bundles, which are filled with herbs and used in American Indian spirituality to cleanse the atmosphere of negative energy.

In the sanctuary, the wall behind a platform featured cedar shakes radiating from a beaten copper disk. During services, the disk is illuminated from behind. The effect, said Zemke, is meant to represent the source of divine light.

The congregation's hourlong Sunday services include prayers over requests placed in a prayer chest, a holy communion circle, meditation, music and a sermon or lesson. Spiritual healing is offered once a month during service and every Sunday after worship.

Members of the metaphysical church, which holds classes in meditation, prayer, healing, reincarnation and karma, do not believe that Jesus is the only son of God. Rather, Jesus is considered to be a great teacher, or as Zemke said, a supreme "way shower."

"I do think that the teachings of Christ, which are to love one another and to forgive one another, were profound teachings onto themselves, and obviously, as a world, we're still learning how to do that," he said.

A church pamphlet states that the position of the pastors is that it "is not so important what one believes about God, as long as one believes." It states as well that the church "embraces the belief in the Ten Commandments as a guide for moral behavior."

Founded in 1960, Temple of the Living God was chartered under the Universal Spiritualist Association. In 1999, it was incorporated as an independent, interfaith metaphysical community church. Its psychic fairs have become a popular tradition. They offer people a way discover more about themselves in a safe environment, free of ridicule, Zemke said. The next fair, featuring more than two dozen psychics, will take place, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Oct. 8. Doors will open at 8:30 a.m.

Zemke, who said he realized he was psychic at a young age, grew up in a Lutheran family in Wisconsin. His parents also were psychic and encouraged his intuitive leanings, he said. But his traditional religious upbringing gave him a sense of structure and "a deep respect for spiritual teaching as presented within that structure." It also fulfilled part of his yearning to identify with something that had meaning in his life, he said.

[Last modified September 25, 2005, 02:15:40]