Wyoming Watches to See How Riverton Deals with White-Supremacist Church

Cheyenne, Wyoming,Tribune-Eagle ^ | 03-30-03 | Zamora, Michael

[Theodore R.]

Wyoming watches to see how Riverton deals with controversial church

By Michael Zamora Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle

CHEYENNE – The city of Riverton never asked for white supremacist church leader Matt Hale to come knocking on its door.

“I think the reaction of a lot of people initially was they were shocked trying to figure out why a group like that was moving to Riverton,” Tim Thorson, executive director of the Riverton Chamber of Commerce, said. “Riverton is not a hateful or hate-friendly community. We’re just a friendly community.”

But the Rev. Thomas Kroenke, who heads the state’s Church of Creativity, didn’t ask for it either.

“The decision was made by Rev. Hale,” Kroenke said. “They did not confer with me why the decision was made. I didn’t expect that kind of turn of events to be putting me in that position of responsibility.”

As outrage and intolerance filled the headlines coming out of Riverton for the first few weeks, a renewed sense of community began to emerge as well, reviving talk about hate-crime legislation and the need for diversity in what some call an undiverse state.

While the Church of Creativity is still very much an unwelcome guest, it’s one the city of Riverton is learning to live with.

It’s also raising questions of how other communities would react if the church ended up in their backyard.

A race-based religion

The Church of Creativity, formerly the World Church of the Creator, announced in December that it would move its world headquarters from Illinois to Wyoming, and that Riverton resident and former state employee Kroenke would be in charge of the group’s daily operations.

Kroenke said the church, founded on furthering the survival, expansion and advancement of the white race, does not believe in God or in an afterlife, crediting the white man as the creator of all worthwhile culture and civilization. “A belief in a transcendental being is not required to have a religion,” Kroenke said. “Basically we’re a race-based religion which works as an advocate group for the white race.”

Kroenke said he has been a white loyalist since he was a teenager.

[Texas_Jarhead]

Holler at me when this jackass commits a felony then creates a fake holiday based on race

[dighton]

They don't make "Aryan Supermen" like they used to.

[Highest Authority]

It would be interesting to watch if Louis Fartinacan bought the building next door!

[Conservababe]

The name Matt Hale is ringing a bell with me. Is he the young man in southern Illinois who was denied taking law boards because of his supremist beliefs?

[IronJack]

How would the community be "dealing" with a black supremacist church? For example, if Jesse Jackson were to open a franchise there?

[headsonpikes]

"Aryan Supermen" ...LOL!!

I can picture some Wyoming cowboy making this boy dance to a Colt .45. ;^)

[RWG]

You mean a white kwanza?

[South Dakota]

A race-based religion

Ours is a country based on the freedom of religion. These people have the right to believe what they want.

Political correctness drives public opinion against them and should some violent act is committed against them it would be a hate crime.

Fat chance that it would ever be classified as one

[Texas_Jarhead]

yup. I was being sarcastic attempting to point out the apparent irony as embodied by situation. This white racist is held up as a showcase for racism but a known black felon racist is held in esteem and his fake holiday, celebrated by one race of people in one nation, has been legitimized.

[RWG]

Worse, mush headed educators, bureaucratic robots, and empty headed politicians know nothing of the history of the felon's celebration but 'feel' it must be an ethnically relevant event. It is relevant that the majority of an ethnic group is or has been in the criminal justice system, so this holiday is one for deviants and other kinds of parasites.

[Sir Gawain]

Hmm.

[Xenalyte]

Matt Hale is an Austin Powers-like secret agent man played by Dean Martin in at least four movies.

Oh, wait, I'm thinking about Matt Helm. Dang.