The Church of the Creator Part I: Ben Klassen and the Critique of Christianity
This essay examines the origins of the Church of the Creator. Founded by Ben Klassen in 1973, the racist cult aspired to unite the white race into a global community with a shared religion called ‘Creativity.’ To that end, the organization sought to proselytize elements of the extreme right to its i...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2010
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| In: |
Religion compass
Year: 2010, Volume: 4, Issue: 8, Pages: 518-529 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This essay examines the origins of the Church of the Creator. Founded by Ben Klassen in 1973, the racist cult aspired to unite the white race into a global community with a shared religion called ‘Creativity.’ To that end, the organization sought to proselytize elements of the extreme right to its ideology, which included a strident critique of Christianity. Although this approach alienated many rightists who were Christians, it appealed to those who became increasingly apprehensive to Christianity, such as the followers of neo-paganism which has found a following in the racialist movement. Moreover, the nihilistic tone of Creativity resonated with the more radical elements of the extreme right, most notably the fledging genre of ‘white power’ music. |
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| ISSN: | 1749-8171 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Religion compass
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-8171.2010.00234.x |