Church of the Creator
The Church of the Creator was a Creativity (religion) organization founded in 1973 by Ben Klassen.
SPLC lawsuit
In 1991, member George Loeb shot and killed a Black man. Loeb claimed that he had acted in self-defense, but was sentenced to life imprisonment. The organization had stated that it was non-violent and it was not criminally convicted of involvement. However, possibly expecting a civil lawsuit, most of the organization's property was sold to the National Alliance's William Luther Pierce. In 1993, Klassen, dying from illness, committed suicide.
In 1994, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) filed a civil lawsuit against the organization. It did not contest the case, was ordered to pay $1 million, and dissolved. Pierce was ordered to pay a $85,000 profit gained from reselling the property.
Two successor organizations are the Creativity Alliance and the Creativity Movement.
