Statement by Maria Plumstead

I am Maria Plumstead, the stepmother of Rev. Wayne Plumstead (his mother died in 1969 and his Dad and I were married in 1982). I am writing this statement because I am very angry about the lies being told about Eli Siegel, Aesthetic Realism and my dear stepson by Michael Bluejay and his cohorts on Bluejay’s seedy web site. I feel very sorry for anybody who reads those lies and, for lack of knowledge, might actually be tempted to believe them.

I first met Wayne 25 years ago when I began to date his father. I saw right away how good a minister he was and how fond his parishioners were of him. I especially liked his preaching, which always helped me to feel closer to God. My conversations with Wayne were the first time I had heard about Aesthetic Realism. Frankly, I didn’t understand it at first. But from talking with Wayne and attending a few presentations at the Aesthetic Realism Foundation, I rather quickly began to understand why Aesthetic Realism meant so much to him. The more I learned the more I saw how big and beautiful Aesthetic Realism is and how much it has to offer people.  

I have also personally felt the good will that Eli Siegel and Aesthetic Realism make possible in people’s lives. I am originally from Mexico and I have experienced the prejudice and the condescension that many people can often show toward Hispanics. I want to say from the bottom of my heart that when I am with Wayne and any of his colleagues who study Aesthetic Realism, I feel respected as a human being. I don’t have to worry about my accent or feel I am being looked down upon.   There is a desire to know what I feel and value what I have to say that means a great deal to me.

I don’t formally study Aesthetic Realism, but through Wayne and his wife Rosemary I have been a great beneficiary of their Aesthetic Realism education. I have enormous respect for Mr. Siegel not only for the breadth of his scholarship but also for his big heart and the way he has made so many people’s lives stronger and better.

Take it from me, the Michael Bluejay web site is a pack of lies.

What is this nonsense about students of Aesthetic Realism not being able to take vacations? Wayne and Rosemary have vacationed with us at our time share in Aruba. And we have taken other vacations as well.

What is this nonsense about living within walking distance of the Foundation? Wayne and Rosemary live very near us in Bloomfield, New Jersey. What is this nonsense about people’s lives being run from the “headquarters”? From what I have observed for over twenty years, Wayne and Rosemary run their own lives.

And what is this nonsense about Aesthetic Realism being a cult with members? The Aesthetic Realism Foundation is clearly an educational institution offering courses of study for those who wish to avail themselves of it. I have five children of my own and I wish they would all study Aesthetic Realism. There is no doubt in my mind their lives would be better off if they did—and I have told them so.

Over the years I have seen Wayne become a kinder and kinder person through his study of Aesthetic Realism, and because of what he learned I feel I have gained another son. I am a working person and he has been very generous in taking his father to doctors’ appointments and spending time with him. I know I can count on him when I need him and I am very grateful for this.  

Over the years Wayne’s Aesthetic Realism education has enabled him to take a genuine and deep interest in his father’s and my life and well-being. Our relation gets stronger with every day. And I have seen Wayne grow in his ministry as well. I have seen the passion he has to be a faithful pastor and sincere man of God. This matters very much to him and I believe that is why he cares for Aesthetic Realism so much. It has made it possible for him to be the Christian he always hoped to be.

I think it is clear that Michael Bluejay is putting forth these lies about Aesthetic Realism because he wants to be important. He acts as if he knows what Aesthetic Realism is when it is clear he doesn’t have a clue. It is a little bit like a child who thinks he can fly a jumbo jet because he knows how to glue a paper airplane together.

As outraged as I am by these despicable attacks from jealous and small-minded individuals, I am equally proud of Wayne’s calm steadfastness and fidelity to what he knows is true. I am proud to know him and to be his stepmother.  

 

• Links to writings by Rev. Wayne Jack Plumstead include "How Much of the World Does Jesus Ask Us to Include?" in the national journal of the United Methodist Church The Circuit Rider; An Easter Prayer on the General Board of Global Ministries Web site; and on his weblog The Aesthetics of Religion.
• See biographical information about Rev. Wayne Plumstead on the Aesthetic Realism Faculty pages online.
• Also read Rev. Plumstead's statement in Friends of Aesthetic Realism—Countering the Lies.
• See Statement of Jack Plumstead, Rev. Wayne Plumstead's father.