The Klan started to have a religious nature in 1915 during the reign of Imperial Wizard Joseph Simmons who was a former minister and head of the Klan. Simmons began to mimic the Klan's rituals religious ceremonies (Ridgeway). The Ku Klux Klan is often affiliated with the ritual of cross-burnings which became a part of regular meetings and ceremonies. The burnigs of the cross was often used to excite the members and the public, raise their morale, remind them to serve the Klan. With the linkage to the Protestant religion, some Klan members believed they were God's army against the enemies of God's chosen people. The KKK regularly incorporated religion into it's beliefs and actions.The Klan was tied to religion very closely through ministries to the point that the Klan would be called upon by the church to give announcements to the public about different issues.
