OPINION|
When I look at the two-story stately brick home, with its long sidewalk stretching to Catalpa Street in a tony part of Springfield, the word “parsonage” does not come to mind.
Yet, that's what it will be, according to Paul H. Dean, 54, who calls himself “Man Found Standing.”
He bought the four-bedroom, five-bath house at 1600 E. Catalpa (at South Delaware) in September. He told me on Thursday, March 28 that he plans to move in sometime in about a month.
A parsonage is a residence owned by a church and offered to a pastor as a form of compensation, along with salary.
Actually, it was Dean's church that bought the house on Catalpa. His church is the Spirit of Truth Native American Church, which is a nonprofit he created in September 2021. It had been based in Ava.
In January, his church bought a different residence in Springfield, a house at 1701 E. Walnut St.
Dean is president and founder of the church. He is also the founder of a different but similar church called New Haven Native American Church. This church has also bought a house in Springfield — 1460 N. Summit Ave., in June 2021.
The plan for these other two homes is to improve them and then sell them at a profit, Dean said.
He claims the name ‘Man Found Standing'
Dean has been involved in Native American traditions like sweat lodges, healing rituals and the use of peyote as a sacrament. He claims the name “Man Found Standing.”
In a 2017 Youtube video, in which he primarily talks about Bitcoin and how it can be improved, Dean says he first became immersed in Native American culture in 2003.
You might think Dean is Native American. He's not. He is white and describes himself as a Christian.
My interest in this is that I think it's odd that a small Native American church, operated by a non-Native American, would buy what appears to be a rather pricey parsonage.
It certainly isn't something Pastor Christie Love and her husband would do.
Neighbors need not worry about drumming
In addition, I'm sure the neighbors will want to know if the house will be used for worship and sacraments?
Dean says there will be no large gatherings or late-night drumming at the parsonage.
“No, nothing like that. One person might show up. Park in my driveway. I counsel them. And they are on their merry way,” he says.
“If we are going to do bigger groups, it will be out on our properties in Douglas County.”
According to Douglas County property records, Dean's two Native American churches, as well as a third Native American church connected to his wife's family, own several large chunks of land in Douglas County. The total is just over 400 acres.
These large parcels in Douglas County are where Native American outdoor festivals and ceremonies have been held.
The most people to ever attend one of his church's events is 185, he says.
Dean not only has had a long interest in Native American culture, history and sacraments — he has also had a long interest in Native American products and services to sell.
He made money selling ‘Native American Nutritionals'
Years ago in Utah, he says, he formed a company called Native American Nutritionals, which later became Rocky Mountain Oils.
He tells me he unwisely gave what he thought would be temporary control of the company to a young man whom he had hired. The young man then took that opportunity to force Dean out.
“I was making good money from my business before a hostile take over,” he says.
He still sells Native American nutritional items. His mother owns a shop called Siahus on the downtown Ava Square where they are sold.
Regarding his church, Dean says, 95 percent of the funds come from himself.
He estimates his church has 250 members “from all over.”
“Some people have had really bad experiences with organized religion,” he tells me. “We try to get them to understand that organized religion should not stand in your way to a relationship with the creator.”
He says move to SGF prompted by the adoption of his grandson
The church has been based in Ava and Douglas County. I ask why he started buying properties, including the parsonage, here in Springfield.
It's because he recently adopted his grandson and he wants the boy to have the greater educational opportunities available in Springfield, he says.
“We are trying to give him a more rounded education,” he tells me. “We will stay here in Springfield to assist in his educational opportunities. We will probably move out to a rural area when he gets a little bit older.”
I ask him about the possible use of items mentioned on the church's Facebook page — peyote and psilocybin — in Native American sacraments.
“Those ones would be extremely highly regulated in small groups,” he says.
Psilocybin is a chemical obtained from certain mushrooms. They are consumed for their hallucinogenic effects.
Their use is illegal in Missouri, but some lawmakers in recent years have wanted them approved for treating post-traumatic stress disorder and other ailments.
Peyote is a small cactus. The active ingredient is the hallucinogen mescaline.
All natural and synthetic hallucinogens are illegal in Missouri, with the exception
of peyote when used by Native Americans in religious ceremonies, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
On the Spirit of Truth Native American Church Facebook page is a link to a website with the heading “Sacred Spirit Sacrament Healing Ceremonies.”
On this second page is a link to the constitution of the church.
President of church, aka High Priest, is ‘ultimate authority'
I read the 16-page constitution twice. It covers a broad range of topics, including for example, how to vote: raise your hand and give either a thumbs up or a thumbs down.
At times, it seemed to me, it was written by someone creating his personal vision of what religion should be. Someone also opposed to mandated masking and vaccinations.
It uses phrases like “talking feather,” “chiefs,” “lodges,” “great council,” “stone carrier” and refers to gifts and offerings to the church as part of the “Sacred Giveaway.”
I reviewed the constitution with William C. Meadows, a professor of Native American studies at Missouri State University. He sees several “red flags” regarding whether the church actually reflects the lives and traditions of Native Americans.
But first, here are excerpts from the Constitution.
“We claim the right to restore our Sacred Religion based upon their teachings, which have been passed down to us through the traditions, customs, ceremonies, writings, and records of Indigenous Peoples, among which we acknowledge the Native American stories and records, Holy Bible, the Torah, the Vedic Texts, Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics, Ayahtkuhyaht Text, and so forth, by way of example.”
(Ayahtkuhyaht Nemenhah are the sacred records of the Nemenhah people. Some say the texts have something to do with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)
“We hold the Sacred Scriptures, no matter where they originate from, to be useful in our Spiritual Progression as long as they do not disagree with the message of the Messiah and are witness to us by the Holy Spirit to be true or founded on principles of truth.
“We believe that Yeshua taught many things to the indigenous tribes around the world and in the Americas after he left Israel.”
“We are conscientiously opposed to mandated or forced vaccination, the compulsion for us to mask ourselves with potentially harmful effects, or other government forced or mandated prevention or medical treatments.”
“The President and CEO of the Spirit of Truth Native American Church is the President High Priest, and President of the Church and is the ultimate authority under this Constitution.
“The Spirit of Truth is the teaching that God is love, that love is our salvation, and salvation comes thorough God's son Yeshua.“
‘I don't want to sound mean, but ...'
“I don't think he really is going to be well received by the Native American community,” to be honest,” said professor Meadows, who is not Native American.
“Native Americans do not believe they are a lost tribe of Israel,” he said.
That belief is one held by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“I don't want to sound mean, but it sounds kind of like a spiritual collage,” Meadows says.
One red flag, he says, is that the constitution makes no mention of other major Native American churches or organizations.
Another red flag, Meadows says, is that Dean sets himself up as ultimate overseer of his church.
Meadows tells me he can't help but recall a tragedy that occurred in 2009 when James Arthur Ray, a white man, sponsored a New Age “Spiritual Warrior” retreat near Sedona, Arizona. It included a nontraditional sweat lodge.
His followers/customers paid thousands to participate. Three people died after basically being cooked alive in the sweat lodge. Eighteen others were hospitalized.
This is Pokin Around column No. 171.
