minister Catherine,
First, please allow me to say how delighted I am to see you have joined this forum – and kindly do not mind my somewhat jaded colleagues – welcome to Quatloos.
I very much appreciate you taking the time to explain the events of the past several years, and I can understand how you may see the media’s representation of yourself as less than flattering. If nothing else, I think we both can agree that popular reporting rarely examines anything below the surface of a story, and as a consequence only on occasion provides what may be an appropriate context.
And that police raid does sound terrifying! I have heard of the same kind of thing happening with orchid enthusiasts who have large indoor collections where they grow those plants.
Now you are probably going to take this letter that I am writing right now and only quoting a few points from it because you do not have the light within you and you are in on it.
I’m not sure if I’m “in on it”, but I do want to be frank and honest; I think you and I have very different views on what the law is and is not. Perhaps that is a topic for another time, but I hope you do not mind if I immediately shift our discussion in a different direction. One of my foibles is that I have an academic interest in a great many subjects. As you may have guessed, one such point of interest are groups such as the one with which I understand you are affiliated, “The Church of the Ecumenical Redemption International”. I’ve been calling it “CERI” for short.
How can you write about anyone you have never even met or talked to. It is all based on assumptions. I am not associated with any church or group whatsoever. All we are is a bunch of people who know the truth and of course the liars are going to defame us, I knew that right from the start. Truth isn't printed it is taken apart piece by piece to make one look insane.
I have tried to learn about yourself and CERI by watching videos and listening to interviews online, as well as reading material posted on the “allcreatorsgifts” website. You are quite correct that is not personal knowledge of yourself and you colleagues.
As a consequence, I am wondering if you could tell me more about your community. I have visited the “allcreatorsgifts” website, and it seems to describe a religious group. Is that incorrect? I note you refer to yourself by the title “minister”. Perhaps you could explain how this community works – is it more a study group? Do you have a hierarchy? Is Edward Jay Robin Belanger your leader or teacher?
If I were to attend one of your gatherings what would it be like?
Is there a reason why CERI members also use a lower case title “minister”, not “Minister”?
Were you once “reformed druids”? I read an article on the “allcreatorsgifts” website where minister Belanger had at one time called himself that.
This is perhaps one of those points where popular sources are inaccurate, but I have seen CERI described as a “pot church”, in that the organization’s main focus is the production and use of marijuana in a religious context. I suspect that is an oversimplification since I have read documents such as your “agreements” which have a far broader intended effect. Can you explain the relationship of marijuana use to the beliefs of the group as well? Is this something that is the ‘core’ of the community, or more incidental? Perhaps marijuana use is important to some who are involved, but not all members?
I am also curious how you have come to where you are. Please feel free to tell me if any of these questions are ones you think are too intrusive – I won’t be offended in any way. How long have you been associated with CERI? How did you first find out about the group and its beliefs? Did they seem strange to you, or were these ideas ones that it seemed you already knew – they were just ‘natural’? Do you feel you share a lot with other members of the group? Or is it ideas and objectives that have brought you together?
You have said that people (authorities?) take steps to make persons with beliefs like yours “look insane”. Do you think that is just two very different perspectives ‘colliding’, or is this a plan? Do you think that pretty much everyone in the government, courts, police, and lawyers are “in on it”? Or are there just a few people ‘pulling the strings’?
One must ask themselves why would they take a 54 year old woman who only got agreements with the higher ups and defame her by comparing her to Guru's, the freeman-on-the-land and the terrorist Timothy McVeigh when I am not violent in any way … They are trying to make me look like a terrorist by putting me right beside the Freeman on the land movement in the paper, also printing lie after lie. …
I sometimes read discussions online between persons who identify themselves as Freemen-on-the-Land, Sovereign Citizens, and members of CERI. I think you see these groups as very different – can you explain how? Do you see the Freemen as violent? If so, why? It seems minister Belanger has had a lot of dealings with people who call themselves Freemen, for example I have watched his videos of his recent interactions with Robert Menard. I know minister Belanger has said he believes that many leaders in these movements are some a kind of government agents or plants - I believe Menard and David Kevin Lindsay were mentioned by name. Do you agree? Does that trouble you? Any thoughts would be very welcome.
Do you know Nanya-Shaabu :El? I think he was involved with CERI for awhile and he and minister Belanger worked together. Bluntly, he seems to me to be a very troubled person.
This is perhaps a strange question, but have you heard of someone or some organization in the Edmonton area selling land obtained from Indians to Freemen-on-the-Land in the last year or so? That is a subject I have been following for awhile, it has to do with the allegations of Freemen squatting on Crown land in the Grande Prairie area. You may have read about that in news reports.
My last inquiry is more general, and I’d like to first put the question into a little context. As I said earlier, I have an academic interest in groups such as CERI, the Freemen-on-the-Land, the Detaxers, and so on. That flows from my curiosity about how people come to hold these ideas, where their ideas come from, and the kinds of communities in which these ideas are popular. I wonder how people with these beliefs find one another. As I have said, these legal and historic perspectives are very different from my own, but I find them interesting.
CERI has been around a long time – I do not know how long you have been involved in that group, but I know minister Belanger has been travelling in those circles for 15, maybe 20 years. I suspect you two have met and come to know many of the dominant persons who were strongly involved in those groups. They are often called “gurus” these days. It seems to me that much of the early history of these people and their ideas is being lost. Little was written down (as far as I know), websites where there once was information and discussions have disappeared. I recall in a recent Youtube video by minister Belanger that he commented his health has not been the best of late.
My personal perspective is that the history of these groups and their members is interesting and important. It appears unusual for ordinary people to become very interested in the details of law and how that operates, particularly when they come to very different but personal perspectives on what law is and how it operates.
In brief, I’d love to hear your perspective on the history of CERI, what it has been and now is, and the personalities who have been involved over the years. I’d like to know about the community, culture, beliefs – I am curious to learn about that context. I would be equally interested in any broader comments on the Freeman, Detaxer, etc. world as you have seen it.
If you happen to be in contact with minister Belanger please feel free to pass along my suggestion that he perhaps record his perspective on this unusual world. I know he has participated in much that now, as I said, cannot be readily accessed by interested persons in the public. I would be very eager to read a record of that kind.
What the public does see is the case law record, and that will, of course, be pretty much permanent. I think you see court judgments as one sided – and frankly I agree – they do focus on only one half of the story – the court’s perspective. In my own exploration I have sometimes found much more and interesting things that happened along with the sometimes terse court judgments. For example, awhile ago I became quite fascinated by an Edmonton-area litigant who called himself (or herself) “kisikawpimootewin” – I believe this is another acquaintance of minister Belanger. There’s a long report on kisikawpimootewin here, if you are curious (
viewtopic.php?f=47&t=9526).
Maybe that helps explain my point of view and why I research and write on this subject.
I hope I have not been offensive or unpleasant in my reply, and if I have, please accept my sincere apologies.
SMS Möwe
