Dear EICEA hiring decision maker(s):
Please consider me in your search for a Lead Coordinator. As you rightly indicate, the holder of this position will “help shape one of Alberta’s longest-standing interfaith organizations” and “work alongside dedicated volunteers and community leaders…building a more connected and compassionate society.” What an opportunity!
What follows, outlines how my beliefs would inform my approach to this position. I will also reference specific events in my life and relevant work experience.
I sincerely hope that my views are not viewed as too extreme but I cannot in good conscience apply without their unequivocal expression. I am pleased to note that the EICEA allows for a variation in belief among its members and staff. My spiritual beliefs come through the study of the teachings of Jesus, Sri Ramana Maharshi, Ekhardt Tolle, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and scriptural texts such as the Bible, Bhagavad Gita, A Course in Miracles, The Other Voice and Journey Beyond Words.
That’s quite a list of potential references to support what I maintain is the simple truth at the basis of all religions: Life is Love.
My 3D sculpture, Love with Heart, references Robert Indiana’s famous work Love.
This is the truth that daily sets “the pigeons among the cats” where people, filling a myriad of positions throughout Edmonton and the world, serve their fellow human beings. For the pigeons that truly understand “love” it matters not what the cats of done. Those serving meals at the Hope Mission, where I dined for many months while homeless, didn’t ask if you beat or robbed people; happened to be a sociopath or rapist; were of indigenous ancestry and hated white people (my personal experience), or, perhaps worst of all, really didn’t need a meal and had plenty to eat at home.
While the idea that there is no “sin” can be found in many scriptures, including a careful reading of the Bible, the belief in a world of dualities, of Love and Hate, Good and Evil, is also strongly held by many. This dual world, I maintain, is false.
I need some help here, so let me turn to Jesus and his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. (Please note I use the KJV Bible.)
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
A powerful, unifying sentiment that I believe should be a guiding principle for EICEA. To me, this is not just a call for a forgiving mindset but also a declaration our unity in each other and in God.
We live in a world that is more polarized than ever and it’s easy to fall into the “us” and “them” camps, which is so clearly demonstrated in what I consider to be the ill-advised decision of our federal government to pass the Combatting Hate Act (Bill C-9). The news release accompanying the stated date for the beginning of enforcement of the act, July 18, 2026, quotes The Honourable Sean Fraser, P.C., K.C., M.P.
“As hate continues to rise in Canada, communities have been calling for stronger protections against hate crimes. Those protections are now law. We’ve seen synagogues struck by gunfire, places of worship vandalized or burned, and people being targeted in their own communities. That is unacceptable. We cannot allow that kind of hate to become normal in Canada. These changes will help people worship and gather safely in their own communities, while supporting law enforcement with clearer tools to respond.”
Carney is taking this message to Canadians as illustrated in the internet article, Carney says antisemitism has reached levels not seen since the war as liberals point to new hate laws. Bianca, writing for the Trendonomist¸ September 11, 2026, says the message is straightforward: existing condemnation is not enough when people fear entering a synagogue, mosque, school or cultural centre because of threats or targeted demonstrations.
Bianca then goes on to describe the “success” of this initiative under the subheading Tougher Laws Will Only Matter If They Can Be Enforced, writing: The strongest test of Ottawa’s approach will therefore be operational—whether authorities can intervene earlier and prosecute serious cases effectively without turning broadly worded provisions into constitutionally vulnerable tools.
In Bianca’s estimation, how we’re combating hatred is measured in the success of attack. My estimation of Bianca’s estimation? Insane!
The famous Hindu teacher, Adi Shankaracharya, often credited with reviving Hinduism, wrote in Bhaja Govindam (22): The yogi whose mind is absorbed in the Divine delights in the Self, moving about just like a child (bāla) or a madman (unmatta).
Call me childlike and crazy then, when I suggest that Bill C-9 will not eliminate hatred.
I’m not arguing that vandalism and personal attacks on people shouldn’t be against the law, but what I am saying is that such laws contribute nothing to understanding where hatred comes from and how it can be alleviated to fulfill Fraser’s desire to not “allow that kind of hate to become normal in Canada.”
We’ve tried attacking hatred. Maybe it’s time to give the opposite a chance. Christ not only talked about loving your enemy in the Sermon on the Mount but also with his famous request that we turn the other cheek.
This is where EICEA can be active. How? First by being very careful not to promote hatred itself. Canada now defines hatred as “an emotion of an intense and extreme nature that is clearly associated with vilification or detestation” and I would argue the film NO SECRET MONUMENTS: SILENT STATUES AND THE DISTORTION OF TRUTH does just that, but in this case the detestation and vilification are directed at those we are righteously allowed to hate: the Nazis. What needs to be understood here is that the emotion that fuels Paula Kirman and Adam Bentley’s film is exactly the same emotion that fuels antisemitism and other forms of hatred: the need of the experiencer to project its hatred out of its mind to an identifiable, external “other”.
The ongoing conflict in Gaza and Israel has shocked many and I have written extensively on this issue. My article Pure Love Comprehends All, discusses this seemingly intractable problem. Below is a graphic that appears at the beginning of the article.
A Course in Miracles discusses the tendency of people to blame others and circumstances for an unhappiness or unease that is really centered in a sense of dissociation from others and life itself.
- The world but demonstrates an ancient truth; you will believe that others do to you exactly what you think you did to them. ²But once deluded into blaming them you will not see the cause of what they do, because you want the guilt to rest on them. ³How childish is the petulant device to keep your innocence by pushing guilt outside yourself, but never letting go! ⁴It is not easy to perceive the jest when all around you do your eyes behold its heavy consequences, but without their trifling cause. ⁵Without the cause do its effects seem serious and sad indeed. ⁶Yet they but follow. ⁷And it is their cause that follows nothing and is but a jest. (ACIM, T-27.VIII.8:1-7)
The passage above suggests that life, unlike Bob Dylan’s assessment in All along the Watchtower, is a joke, and you can find humour in all aspects of my life, whether it be in my art, via my Happy Face Series; my song, The Lord and I disagree, or my stand-up comedy routine, Special Humour Operation.
But, to get serious about humour for a moment, (is that possible?), we might ask ourselves as the world is enveloped in an ever-growing list of issues like global warming, raging wildfires, catastrophic weather events, major wars, decline in democracy and the rise of pro-nationalist and racist ideologies, if laughter should be allowed at all.
I argue that a sense of humour should not only be allowed but recognized as vital as EICEA moves forward in its efforts to have a positive impact on the local, regional, national and world community.
I’d like to see us lobby the federal government to pass the Love and Forgiveness Act, (Bill C-70×7), requiring all Canadians to love and forgive each other, regardless of what has been done and by who. Canadians would be urged to resolve differences with those they have a grievance with, especially family members, and funds could be set aside for travel or other initiatives to facilitate healing. Tax dollars could also be invested in surveys designed to measure the mood of Canadians and communications programs set in place to reinforce love and reduce fear, which is the emotion at the base of all anger and upset.
Penalties for failure to comply could start with a single hug and escalate from there. If you laughed while reading this, that’s part of my intent, but I believe the actual lobbying for the passage of this act would generate positive publicity in Canada and worldwide. And its actual passage and implementation would do more, I believe, to prevent “that kind of hate” than Bill C-9.
And speaking of worldwide, I’d like to see EICEA lobby the United Nations to declare July 2 (the middle day of the year) the International Day of Love. Hey, if the potato can get its own day, I think love deserves one, too.
I think it’s important to understand that governments, including our beloved Canada, have and can succumb to fear and racism as Canada decries the attitude and thoughts of its antisemitic citizens.
A Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 webpage states: From the inception of Canada’s federal immigration structure at Confederation until the massive resettlement programs following the Second World War, Canadian immigration policy and practice was animated by personal and institutional anti-Semitism.
Thankfully, Carney’s antisemitism initiative also includes a positive initiative. in his announced creation of the “Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion” and I see this as another opportunity for EICEA to be involved.
Canada, as a nation and individuals, is also dealing with a growing realization that Israel, in one of the world’s greatest ironies, is systematically practicing genocide in Gaza. The awarding of the Venice International Film Festival Special Jury Prize to NAZA, a film that documents the killings, made by two Israeli filmmakers, was immediately condemned by Israeli culture minister Miki Zohar, while national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted “You are a disgrace and an embarrassment to the entire people of Israel. Go away!” Initially, the Israeli military rejected the film, but later stated that “the allegations required a detailed, evidence-based response rather than a blanket dismissal”. Meanwhile, a recent study of the New York Times, as reported in The Jerusalem Post, details a proven bias showing the Palestinians as victims and Israel as aggressors.
This back and forth, and to and fro, in the identification of what deserves to be hated versus loved is what leaves us confused in our minds and conflicted in our actions. I believe we are an inseparable part of a single Creator and that when we detest someone, we really only detest ourselves. As nations, those emotions lead to something we all agree we don’t like and yet seem to find ourselves continuously involved in: war.
The Other Voice (TOV), in the section Peace and Freedom, teaches of our unity and the futility of war in the following passage:
If you are not at peace, then you are at war. The absence of peace IS war. And there is one thing you must learn, and that is this: In this war in which you find yourself, simply because you are not at peace, IN THIS WAR THERE IS NO OPPONENT. That means there is nothing in the universe, nothing within God, nothing within any of your brothers, nothing within the world, which has a will different or separate from your own, and which would design to destroy your peace. IN THE ABSENCE OF YOUR PEACE, YOU ARE AT WAR WITH NO ONE.
That understanding is absolutely required in order that you will, eventually, in your time, come to the experience of peace…
Well, how does there seem to be a war in the first place? There seems to be a war because you hear two voices. You hear the voice of the ego. And you hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. One of the voices is always there. That is the Voice of the Holy Spirit. The Voice of God. That Voice is part of you. It was placed there by God, and can never leave.
The voice of the ego is placed there out of your desire to experience the illusion of separation. And insofar as you choose that pathway, then you are free to choose to listen to the voice of the ego…If you would hear two voices which would teach you different pathways, then you must be in conflict. You MUST be at war, do you see? And thus you cannot be at peace.
So how is it you win the war? BY LISTENING TO ONE VOICE. And since it is absolutely not possible to hear ONLY the voice of the ego, you have but one choice available. If you would come back to your peace, you MUST do it by hearing but one voice, only the Voice of the Holy Spirit. [and]
…you shall realize that there is, in the whole universe, no one but your Self, no one but me, no one but every brother who walks this earth with you, and no one but God, all of which are, and must always remain the same.
Social justice is mentioned several times in the EICEA’s Strategic Plan.
The Alberta Federation of Labour, has organized a province wide “Day of Protest” to oppose the UCP’s implementation of two-tier healthcare; underfunding of public schools, while supporting private schools; the withdrawal from CPP and the RCMP; coal mining at headwaters; the affordability crisis and low minimum wage; abuse of the Notwithstanding Clause and the referendum on separation. Originally set for October 17, the AFL has moved the date to the 18th because Alberta separatists have chosen to rally on the 17th.
Should the EICEA have an opinion on the issues being raised during the “Day of Protest”? Should it take a stand on the referendum on the possible separation of Alberta from Canada and the other nine questions being asked on October 19th? If so, who decides what those positions are?
Consider, too, this poster featured on the AFL website, promoting a rally in Mill Woods in September. At first glance, a noble sentiment to be “United against racism & division”, however on closer inspection, to the left, we see a man with what could easily be a weapon, perhaps even a gun, in his right hand; in his left, he holds a flag depicting people with fists in the air. To the right, a man has covered his face with a scarf that has a pattern associated with Palestinians. In the upper right, we read: Free the migrants.
We’re not quite sure where these migrants are held captive but a clue is to be found in the lower left where a logo of “The International Migrants Alliance” is found.
Visit the website for the International Migrants Alliance and you are greeted with a video that makes no bones about how migrants around the world are victimized and exploited. Near the end, a rousing anthem “Migrants on the March” is sung, featuring the following lyrics:
Millions of banners are waving from a distant horizon/Carried by millions of migrants all over the world. Wondrous chorus of voices is echoing everywhere/Thus we march with our clenched fists/In unison we shout “Struggle! Resist!”
We had long been oppressed/We have long been victims/Thus we stand united/Victory shall be reached. We will never cease/Migrants of the world will triumph/United we shall break the chains of globalization
Given EICEA’s interest in “collaboration towards social justice with a lens to anti-oppression”, should EICEA consider supporting this organization or others like it? If so, how? Should we make a donation? Provide a link from our website?
I’m registered to attend and, given a chance to speak, will suggest that perhaps we can promote the needs of the disadvantaged without the use of images that threaten and emotions based in hate.
The clenched fist is a curiously common symbol used by many organizations that supposedly promote peace, as it seems to suggest that peace is found through violence. Consider the images below where the book cover for Radical Dharma: Talking Race Love and Liberation, by Zen Buddhist Reverend angel Kyodo Williams, features a yellow heart with a fist in it. In addition to governments and individuals, it seems religious leaders can fall prey to the ego’s seductive, adrenalin supplying emotion: hate. The second image, much closer to home and displayed on an Edmonton lawn, also links the yellow heart and fist with love as part of an overall message; HATE HAS NO HOME HERE. These images are taken from my application to fill the role of Anti-Racism Specialist at Norquest College, which I suggested should be named, Inclusion Coordinator. Needless to say, I didn’t get the job.
Again, I’m either going to talk myself into or out of consideration for this position, but I believe EICEA should stand for and focus on the concepts eloquently expressed by the first speaker in your Building Bridges Documentary:
All religions come from the same source and that the purpose of religions is to unite people and to teach us about love…how to become more peaceful and harmonious. So, this, interfaith harmony is so crucial.
Love and peace we can all pretty much understand as concepts, while striving for social justice for the “oppressed” involves action against someone or something that I believe takes us away from the connection with the Divine; through the elements listed at the beginning of your documentary: nature, prayer, meditation, contemplation, sound and silence.
The popular saying is, “No peace without justice” and an organization named just that has provided over 30 years of service. But religion speaks of a different kind of peace: an internal, unshakeable peace that is maintained, regardless of external circumstance.
In First Corinthians 13:7 we read that charity [love] – Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
This is how A Course in Miracles puts it:
²Peace of mind is clearly an internal matter. ³It must begin with your own thoughts, and then extend outward. ⁴It is from your peace of mind that a peaceful perception of the world arises. (ACIM, W-34.1:2-4)
Jesus spoke movingly about ministering to the poor, homeless and imprisoned equating such service to ministering to Him. He did not speak about addressing the circumstances that led to these conditions.
I recommend EICEA consider removing its references to “social justice” and “social action” and replace them with “social service” and change its name to The Edmonton Interfaith Centre for Education and Service.
EICEA positions taken on any issue should reflect that belief and, where opposing views or controversy are found, call for actions or solutions that benefit all sides. Active support should be given to supporting agencies that serve without making any judgements, the Food Bank and Hope Mission being just two examples.
This decision would allow EICEA and its members to embrace the simple message I’ve been emphasizing throughout this letter: love.
A possible statement on the upcoming referendum in Alberta might read:
The Alberta government has offered Albertans a great opportunity to consider how the province might relate to the rest of Canada and the world in the future, by either approving a process that would lead to a vote on separation or by reaffirming Alberta’s commitment to the Canadian federation. It has also posed a number of questions about how those without legal standing in the province might be treated. The EICEA urges all Albertans to consider these matters carefully, by informing themselves on and both sides of these issues, so as reasoned a decision as possible can be made. As a faith-based organization, we believe it’s important you consider, to the best of your ability, if the position your vote represents will have the greatest possible positive impact on Alberta, Canada and the world.
As my resume details, I have a vast range of work experience. Relevant positions include years spent as a journalist; Communications Officer; as an international teacher, where I was exposed to a wide variety of cultures and religions; as an advertising business owner, where I learned the basics of budgeting; and as a care aide in group homes working with the mentally and physically challenged, where I worked on my patience.
My life experience is equally vast including, as previously mentioned, a period of homelessness. That experience led me to running for city council and I invite you to read my platform, which remains on my website. Also, in keeping with my experience in the city’s downtown core, I’ve become a regular attendee and participant in the activities of the Sanctuary of Peace Church that holds services and meetings at the Bissell Centre. I also attend, on occasion, the Spirit of Hope church on Whyte.
One constant, in my decades of living in this incarnation, has been the creation of art that, for the most part, expresses the spiritual beliefs I hold and have made known to you in this communication. I’m pleased that one artwork for the Sanctuary of Peace, that I began while staying at the Hope Mission, is now hung for weekly services. I’ve most recently applied for Edmonton Art Council funding to expand on my Box Set series, which combines 3D printing, dollar store boxes and creativity to produce thought provoking art. I’ve also submitted applications to show my work at Gallery@501 in Sherwood Park and the Visual Arts Studio Association gallery in St. Albert. More art and applications for ways to show it, is surely in the works.
Thank you for considering me for this position. I am available for immediate employment.
Sincerely,
James Miller