The Unitarian Church Of Montreal And The Truth About Wilhelmina Tiemersma

Well this is quite interesting. . .

As a result of running a Google search on "Unitarian Church of Montreal" for the post below I discovered that UU World editor Chris Walton has added an Editor's note to one of the very few comments of mine that he has seen fit to allow to remain on his Philocrites blog. Interestingly enough it looks like his editor's note was only added yesterday so this discovery is quite fortuitous.

Haven't I said before that Google is on my side? ;-)

I will respond point-by-point to Chris Walton's editor's note below -

:[Editor's note: I have been in communication with Wilhelmina Tiemersma and with the Rev. Charles Eddis, who served as minister of the Unitarian church in Montreal during Tiemersma's ten years as the church's organist.

The question arises here as to just why UU World editor Chris Walton has been in communication with both Wilhelmina Tiemersma and Rev. Charles Eddis about the act of arson that Wilhelmina Tiemersma committed in 1987. Was it just for the purposes of his editor's note or is Chris planning to do a story about the razing to the ground of the Unitarian Church of Montreal by Wilhelmina on May 25, 1987 in an upcoming issue of the UU World magazine aka U*U propaganda organ?

:They have convinced me that Robin Edgar is willfully misrepresenting her as part of his own unrelated grievance against the Montreal church.

So just how have Wilhelmina Tiemersma and Rev. Charles Eddis convinced UU World editor Chris Walton that I am *willfully* misrepresenting Wilhelmina Tiemersma? It is one thing to misrepresent someone but quite another to do so knowingly and willfully. I can assure Chris Walton, Rev. Charles Eddis, and other "like-minded" suspicious-minded Unitarian*Universalist U*Us, to say nothing of Wilhelmina Tiermersma herself, that I am not knowingly and/or *willfully* misrepresenting Wilhelmina in anything that I have written about her on the internet. In fact I was not aware that I was misrepresenting her at all. I hereby invite Chris Walton, Rev. Charles Eddis, and even Wilhelmina Tiermersma herself, to tell everyone just how I am allegedly "willfully misrepresenting" Wilhelmina by posting their responses to this post in the comments section below.

:Wilhelmina Tiemersma was convicted of setting the fire that destroyed the church building and she served a prison sentence for criminal negligence causing death.

It bears noting that, according to Montreal journalist Kristian Gravenor's Coolopolis blog, Wilhelmina Tiemersma was initially charged with second degree murder for causing the death of two firemen who died as a result of her act of arson when the "east" wall of the Unitarian Church of Montreal collapsed on their firetruck as they were fighting the fire, as may be seen in this overhead newspaper photograph of the Unitarian Church of Montreal on fire.

:She and Eddis attribute the arson in part to a mental illness and a strong reaction to the prescription drug she had been given as part of her treatment.

Well I don't dispute that mental illness, and a possible strong reaction to a prescription drug that she had been given as part of her treatment, may indeed be "in part" a reason for Wilhelmina Tiermersma's act of arson, but what about the rest of the story Chris? What were the various other motivating factors that caused Wilhelmina Tiermersma to open the gas valves and set fire to sheet music over 150 years old, thus setting a fire in the Unitarian Church of Montreal that she knew endangered the lives of the caretaker of the Unitarian Church of Montreal, Ruben Pradier, and his family?

Come on Chris. You are a "journalist" aren't you?

Haven't you heard the saying, "The public has a right to know. . ."?!

Oh, I forgot. . .

In reality Chris Walton is little more than a hired propagandist for the Unitarian*Universalist "religious community" aka the U*U World and it simply is "not within the mandate" of the UU World magazine to truthfully and accurately report newsworthy stories that just might prove to be just a tad embarrassing to Unitarian*Universalists U*U World-wide.

I guess we can just forget about Chris Walton trying to obtain court transcripts from Wilhelmina Tiermersma's trial, or interviewing various other people who knew Wilhelmina at the time of the fire, in a free and responsible search for the full truth and meaning behind why it is that she decided to set fire to the Unitarian Church of Montreal.

:They strongly reject Edgar's suggestion that she has expressed no regrets. Eddis told me that Tiemersma "feels guilty to this day, especially about the deaths of the two firemen."

That may be so, however my suggestion that Wilhelmina Tiermersma was quite unrepentant about her act arson, and had expressed no regrets for it, was based on a seemingly reliable report that I had read about Wilhelmina Tiermersma on the internet or in a local newspaper. There was absolutely no "willful misrepresentation" whatsoever involved in my making that assertion. My representation that Wilhelmina Tiermersma was totally unrepentant for her act of arson was based on an apparently reliable report from a seemingly credible source of information. I have done some follow-up search online and have not found the source of that report. As I recall it was a print media report published a few years ago. Wilhelmina might want to share her concerns with the author of that print media story about her. I only passed on statements or feelings that were attributed to her in that report, which may well be true in any case. . .

:Tiemersma wrote to me: "My life is dedicated to repairing, as far as I am able, the damage I caused all those years ago."

Well I see very little evidence that might support that rather questionable assertion by Wilhelmina Tiemersma. Perhaps UU World editor Chris Walton can dig a little deeper and ask Wilhelmina exactly what she has done in her life since the arson that is clearly dedicated to repairing, as far as she is able, the damage that she caused all those years ago. . . Just what has Wilhelmina done towards repairing the damage that she is responsible for Chris? Can Rev. Charles Eddis can fill us in on that perhaps?

:Shortly after her release from prison in 1991, Tiemersma offered an organ recital in another Montreal church at the beginning of the penitential season of Lent. They have recently been interviewed for a documentary film about the fire; I'll post a link to more information about the film as it becomes available. It's worth noting that Eddis has remained in touch and on friendly terms with the organist who was convicted of burning down his church; that certainly doesn't line up with Robin Edgar's version of the story. —Chris Walton, Philocrites.com 10.22.2007]

My version of the story is based on information found in Montreal newspapers, and/or apparently reliable internet sources, as well as some "hearsay evidence" shared with me by various people that I remain reasonably wary of, but none-the-less have to consider may well be very truthful and reliable. I was quite unaware that Rev. Charles Eddis has remained in touch with, to say nothing of "on friendly terms with", Wilhelmina Tiermersma. There is certainly a story to be told there if that is true. The documentary film should prove to be quite interesting.

I can't help but take note of the fact that the interviews with Wilhelmina Tiemersma and Rev. Charles Eddis for this documentary film have been done recently. Who is to say that Wilhelmina Tiermersma has not changed her tune a bit recently in light of this documentary film? After all she would not look all that good if she appeared to be totally unrepentant and without regrets for her act of arson in a documentary film would she? It is entirely possible that the earlier reports that Wilhelmina Tiermersma was unrepentant, and had no regrets for her act of arson that cost the lives of two Montreal firemen and completely razed the Unitarian Church of Montreal to the ground in May of 1987, were entirely truthful and reliable at the time that they were written and published which was some years ago.

Comments

Anonymous said…
My name is Wilhelmina Tiemersma. Your "sympathy" is not something I cherish. Your "apologies" I consider to be spurious. Unless you desire further legal action taken against you, do not use me as a pawn in your ongoing dispute with the Unitarian Church of Montreal. This will be your only warning.
Robin Edgar said…
:My name is Wilhelmina Tiemersma.

How do I know that you are not someone impersonating Wilhelmina Tiemersma?

:Your "sympathy" is not something I cherish.

That`s fine but, if you really are Wilhelmina Tiemersma, you none-the-less have a certain amount of my sympathy albeit primarily in terms of sympathy based on the belief that you may have been mistreated by Montreal Unitarians. I in no way condone your setting fire to the Unitarian Church of Montreal in May of 1987 even if you were mistreated by members of Unitarian Church of Montreal.

:Your "apologies" I consider to be spurious.

You are entitled to do so, but I can assure you that the apology for any distress that my wortds may have cause to Wilhelmina that I expressed on the Gender Variant Biography blog page that presents a biography of Wilhelmina Tiemersma was sincere. It has never been my intention to cause Wilhelmina Tiemersma any harm and the information that I posted about Wilhelmina being completely unrepentant about setting the fire that destroyed the Unitarian Church of Montreal and caused the deaths of two Montreal firemen came from a published newspaper report that I assumed was reliable. I might add that I was not sympathetic to your reported lack of remorse about setting the fire, especially since two Montreal firefighters lost their lives, although this news report did give me reason to believe that you had been mistreated by Montreal Unitarians.

:Unless you desire further legal action taken against you, do not use me as a pawn in your ongoing dispute with the Unitarian Church of Montreal. This will be your only warning.

I am not concerned about legal action. I do not believe that Wilhelmina Tiemersma has any legitimate grounds to take any legal action against me but if she does so I am confident that I can defend myself against any such legal action. I have already successfully defended myself against trumped up criminal charges brought against me by the Unitarian Church of Montreal and I am very confident that I will be equally successful in defending myself against Rev. Diane Rollert`s spurious claims to have reasonable grounds to fear that I will commit a serious personal injury offence against her in a deeply misguided effort to force a temporary end to my legitimate peaceful public protest against U*U injustices, abuses and hypocrisy.

If you really are Wilhelmina Tiemersma I harbour no ill will against you and hope that one day you will be able to find genuine (as opposed to sham. . .) reconciliation with the Unitarian Church of Montreal. I look forward to reading more about your side of the story of why you burned down the Unitarian Church of Montreal in May of 1987 as presented in your autobiography as well as the documentary film about your relationship with Rev. Charles Eddis, the minister emeritus of the Unitarian Church of Montreal that is reportedly being made. If you are an imposter pretending to be Wilhelmina I will only say that you yourself are using Wilhelmina Tiemersma as a pawn, although I could say a few other things. . .

If you really are Wilhelmina Tiemersma I will invite you to return here and post as much as you would like to about your side of the story. This blog post is dedicated to telling the truth about Wilhelmina Tiemersma and her own testimony is not only welcome here but encouraged. For the record I have thought that Wilhelmina Tiemersma may have been "lurking" here and may have even previously submitted a few comments to The Emerson Avenger blog either anonymously or under a pseudonym. In fact I thought it was within possibility that some fairly recent comments to this blog may have been posted by Wilhelmina Tiemersma. Am I wrong?
Robin Edgar said…
I am going to assume for now that the real Wilhelmina Tiemersma has commented here and will ask her to provide an answer to the following question -

Chris Walton, the editor of the UU World magazine, reports on his Philocrites blog that you wrote to him saying:

"My life is dedicated to repairing, as far as I am able, the damage I caused all those years ago."

Could you please inform the readers of this blog what you have done, or have attempted to do, to repair the damage that you caused in 1987? I expect that some readers will also be interested in knowing how Montreal Unitarians have responded to any attempts that you have made to repair that damage. Since you obviously have not repaired any of the physical damage to the Unitarian Church of Montreal building on Sherbrooke Street which no longer exists at all, having been completely demolished recently, what efforts have you made to repair the psychological damage that your act of arson inflicted on the congregation of the Unitarian church of Montreal? What, if anything, have you done to try to repair the damage to the families, friends, and colleagues of the two Montreal firemen who were killed as a result of the fire that you set in the Unitarian Church of Montreal on May 25th, 1987?
Anonymous said…
Actually, I'm The Jolly Green Giant. You look poisonous. I don't think I'll eat you for dinner...
Robin Edgar said…
Well if you are the same anonymous poster who claimed to be Wilhelmina Tiemersma, but are not actually Wilhelmina Tiemersma, then you are far more guilty of using Wilhelmina as a pawn in this conflict than I am. . . OTOH If you really are Wilhelmina Tiemersma, one must wonder why you are now pretending to be the Jolly Green Giant and suggesting that you had given some consideration to eating me. I would have thought that the Jolly Green Giant is probably a vegetarian, if not a vegan, in any case. . .

My invitation to the real Wilhelmina Tiemersma to post here and tell her version of why she set fire to the Unitarian Church of Montreal in May of 1987, as well as other aspects of her life that are pertinent to this blog about U*U injustices, abuses and hypocrisy, such as whether or not she was mistreated by Montreal Unitarians, remains open.
Anonymous said…
Willy - if that really is you, send me a message - it would be great to get in touch with you again.
Bill Pope
Robin Edgar said…
Bill if you want to get in touch with Wilhelmina Tiemersma you might be able to do so by contacting Rev. Charles Eddis of the Unitarian Church of Montreal since he has apparently been in contact with her. You might also consider contacting her via Metropolitan United Church in Toronto where she will be playing an organ concert next Thursday.
Viagra Online said…
Some story, it sounds like the theme for a movie.
Rob said…
This was my church and I was about 12 or 14 when it burnt down, I remember wilhelmina before and after his sex change operation, he was on alot of hormones and we watched him morph into a more female looking person.. The Unitarian Ministers attempt to pervert the teachings of the bible to suit their own views and perverted ideals, They say that they are more accepting of different peoples and attitudes ext.. They rarely if ever even studied the bible or it's teachings, the life and teachings of christ were almost never touched on, The teachings of the bible were mostly ignored and in it's place we had a mentally ill transexual playing the organ along with singing and the Minister only reciting portions of the bible that are in line with the Unitarian policies,,Wilhelmina was mentally ill or Posessed by a demon as are all transexuals, pedophiles or homosexual people. The Unitarian and United church embraces perversion and supports sodomy and sodomites and goes against the teachings of the bible. The story of Wilhelmina and the destruction of the Unitarian church was a significant lesson in my life. My heart still goes out to the firefighters and their families who died as a result.