| Ben Klassen | |
|---|---|
| Religion | Creativity |
| Personal | |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | February 20, 1918 Rudnerwiede, Ukraine |
| Died | August 6, 1993 (aged 75) Otto, North Carolina, United States |
| Resting place | Otto, North Carolina, United States |
| Senior posting | |
| Title | Pontifex Maximus |
| Period in office | 1973-1993 |
| Predecessor | None (Established religion) |
| Successor | Richard McCarty |
| Religious career | |
| Works | See bibliography |
| Occupation | Religious leader, author |
|---|---|
| Language | Ukrainian, English, German |
| 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 |
| Subjects | Race, religion |
| Spouse(s) | Henrie Etta Klassen (née McWilliams) |
| Children | Kim Anita Klassen |
Bernhardt (or Bernhard) "Ben" Klassen [Ukrainian: Бернар класу; February 20, 1918 (O.S. February 7, 1918) – August 6, 1993] was an American religious leader who founded the Church of the Creator with the publication of his book Nature's Eternal Religion in 1973. Klassen was also a Florida state legislator, supporter of George Wallace's presidential campaign, and inventor of a wall-mounted electric can opener.[1][2][3]
Contents |
Klassen was born on February 20, 1918 in Rudnerwiede, Ukraine to Bernhard and Susanna Klassen.[4]. He had two sisters and two brothers: Sarah, Katie, Korni, and Henry; four, six, ten, and twelve years his senior, respectively. When Klassen was nine months old, he caught typhoid fever and nearly died. His earliest memories were of the famine of 1921–22. He remembered his father rationing to him one slice of dark bread for dinner. Klassen was first introduced to religion at the age of "three or four." Klassen recalls his mother praising him for the "verve and loudness" with which he sang religious hymns.
When he was five, the family moved to Mexico, where they lived for one year. The first stop on their trip was in Moscow, where Klassen was introduced to electric lights and ice cream. The next stop was Riga, Latvia, then on to Berlin, Germany where they stayed for some time. They stopped in at Cologne where his father and brothers went to see the sights, including the famous Cologne Cathedral. Next, the Klassen family went to Paris, where they again went sight-seeing, visiting the Eiffel Tower and other famous landmarks. From Paris they took a train to their embarkation point across the Atlantic, at La Rochelle, France. Klassen recalls his voyage across the Atlantic Ocean as his first encounter with Black people, oranges, bananas, and pineapples. The Klassen family arrived, after more than a week, at Havana harbor, where they stayed at a boarding house for at least two weeks. After that, the family boarded another train and embarked for Vera Cruz, Mexico. From there, they went north to Chihuahua where the family met with other Mennonites to decide where to go next. In 1925, at age six, he moved with his family to Herschel, Saskatchewan (in Canada). He attended the German-English Academy (now Rosthern Junior College).[4]
Klassen established a real estate firm in Los Angeles in partnership with Ben Burke. Klassen, believing that Burke was prone to drinking and gambling, bought him out and became sole proprietor. He hired several salesmen, including Merle Peek, who convinced him to buy large land development projects in Nevada. Klassen and Peek started a partnership called the Silber Spring Land Company. In 1952 Klassen sold his share of the company to Phillip Hess for $150,000 and retired.[5]
On March 26, 1956 Klassen filed an application with the U.S. Patent Office to patent a wall-mounted, electric can-opener which he marketed as Canolectric. In partnership with the marketing firm Robbins & Myers, Klassen created Klassen Enterprises, Inc., and Robbins & Myers. In the face of competition from larger manufacturers which could provide similar products cheaper, Klassen and his partners dissolved the company in 1962.[5][3]
Klassen served Broward County in the Florida House of Representatives from November 1966- March 1967.[1] He campaigned for election to the Florida Senate in 1967, but was defeated.[6]. That same year, he was Vice Chaiman of an organization in Florida which supported George Wallace for president.[2].
Klassen was a member of the John Birch Society, at one point operating an American Opinion bookstore. However, he became disillusioned with the Society because of its tolerant position toward Jews. Klassen eventually left the organization after writing a letter to it's chairman stating that the Society did not have the audacity to address the "Jewish issue" and requesting a refund of his $1,000 lifetime membership fee.
In November 1970, Klassen, along with Austin Davis, created the Nationalist White Party. The party platform was directed at White Christians and was explicitly religious and racial in nature; the first sentence of the party's fourteen point program is "We believe that the White Race was created in the Image of the Lord..." The logo of the Nationalist White Party was a "W" with a crown and halo over it. That same logo would be used three years later as the logo of the Church of the Creator.
Less than a year after he created the Nationalist White Party, Klassen began expressing apprehension about Christianity to his connections through letters. These letters were not well received and effectively ended the influence of the Nationalist White Party.[5]
In 1973 Klassen founded the Church of the Creator with the publication of Nature's Eternal Religion. Individual church members are called Creators and the religion they practice is Creativity.
In 1982, Klassen established the headquarters of his church at Otto, North Carolina. There he established a school for boys. The original curriculum was a two-week summer program that included activities such as "hiking, camping, training in handling of firearms, archery, tennis, white water rafting and other healthy outdoor activities" as well as instruction on "the goals and doctrines of Creativity and how they could best serve their own race in various capacities of leadership."[7][8]
Klassen was Pontifex Maximus of the church until January 25, 1993 when he transferred the title to Dr. Rick McCarty.[5]
Mourning the death of his wife and the decline of the church, Klassen committed suicide late August 6 or early August 7, 1993 by consuming four bottles of sleeping pills.
Church members were notified on August 12, 1993 in a letter from McCarty stating:
In the early morning of Sunday, August the 8th [sic] our beloved founder and friend Mr. Ben Klassen passed away. I learned this from Klassen's daughter Monday morning. She told me that his last thoughts were about you. How important and significant each one of you are in the survival of our race and religion. The faith he has in each of you to continue with the courage you have always shown. To make a stand and not to back down. To take up the banner of the COTC and to carry it to victory.
Klassen was buried on his North Carolina property in an area designated "Ben Klassen Memorial Park".[5]