Ben Klassen
Bernhardt "Ben" Klassen (February 20, 1918 (O.S. February 7, 1918) – August 6, 1993) was an American politician and white supremacist religious leader. He founded the Church of the Creator with the publication of his book Nature's Eternal Religion in 1973. Klassen was openly racist, antisemitic and anti-Christian and first popularized the term "Racial Holy War" within the White Power movement.
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Ben Klassen | |
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Title | Pontifex Maximus (of the Church of the Creator) |
Personal | |
Born | Bernhardt Klassen February 20, 1918 Rudnerweide (Molotschna), Ukrainian People's Republic (present-day Ukraine) |
Died | August 6, 1993 75) Otto, North Carolina, U.S. | (aged
Resting place | Otto, North Carolina, U.S. 35.0600921°N 83.3876547°W |
Religion | Creativity |
Nationality | American |
Senior posting | |
Period in office | 1973–93 |
Predecessor | None (founded religion) |
Successor | Richard McCarty |
Ben Klassen | |
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Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the Broward County district | |
In office November 1966 – March 1967 | |
Occupation | Religious leader, writer |
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Language | English, German, Plautdietsch |
Nationality | American |
Education | Saskatoon Normal School, Superior First Class Teacher's Certificate; University of Saskatchewan, B.A., 1943; University of Manitoba, B.Sc.E.E., 1943, Canada ROTC; Rosthern Junior College |
Subject | Racism, religion |
Spouse | Henrie Etta Klassen (née McWilliams) |
Children | Kim Anita Klassen |
Klassen was a Republican Florida state legislator, as well as a supporter of George Wallace's presidential campaign. In addition to his religious and political work, Klassen was an electrical engineer and he was also the inventor of a wall-mounted electric can-opener. Klassen held unorthodox views about dieting and health. He was a natural hygienist who opposed the germ theory of disease as well as conventional medicine and promoted a fruitarian, raw food diet.