Book excerpt: As with other terrorist and extremist organizations, religion forms the basis of the Ku Klux Klan's dogmatic philosophy, providing justification for its beliefs and actions. The Klan represents a link to America's cultural past. While America has undergone tremendous social change, the secretive order has, since the end of the Civil War, kept alive the antiquated values--predicated on racism and religion--of white supremacism. Covering nearly a century of Klan ideology, this book examines the group's religious rhetoric in its literature and songs, from its heyday during the 1920s to 2014.