October 25 1999

ARTICLE TOOLS

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Like Fred Phelps, Matthew Hale, leader of the World Church of the Creator (WCOTC), has garnered mass media attention for his extremist message. But where Phelps condemns homosexuals, Hale preaches racial domination.

The 28-year-old Hale first skyrocketed from relative obscurity to nationwide recognition after a member of his race-worshiping congregation, Benjamin Smith, went on a Fourth of July weekend shooting spree that killed two, wounded nine, and left a stunned nation questioning the views of the WCOTC.

Hale's church does not claim to be Christian. WCOTC was formed by Ben Klassen, a Ukrainian immigrant, who founded the racist, anti-Semitic church on the idea that "what is good for the white race is of the highest virtue." Hale discovered Creativity, the church's name for white worship, after he failed at reconciling his racism with Christian principles.

"I realized Christianity was bad for the white race," he explains. "Turning the other cheek and loving your brother is fatal. Every time whites try to lift up other races, they end up pulling us down."

The Southern Poverty Law Center, a group that tracks racist activity, has confirmed at least 45 branches of the WCOTC in the United States. California, Washington, Florida, and Illinois top the list with the most congregations.

WCOTC congregations typically meet once a week on Friday or Sunday evenings. Members in one California congregation also get together on Wednesdays to read from the White Man's Bible. The WCOTC has its own marriage, baptism, and memorial ceremonies, as well as a scriptural book that espouses the subordination of all people to the best interests of the white race.

"I think all of the white race will see me as the person who helped save their destiny and ...