Father Divine

Father Divine (ca. 1880-1965) was, or claimed to be, an incarnation of God. On Earth, he was a little guy, not much over five feet tall, but with flamboyance, charisma, and charm, he developed a large entourage and network, including two Mother Divine wives, a flock of Angels, and dozens of Heavens.

Father Divine came out of the upper south, part of the first African American generation born after the termination of North American slavery. In his twenties be became interested in the New Thought movement, especially the power of positive thinking. Initially he gathered a small flock, and after the end of the Great War, christened himself the “Reverend Major Jealous Divine.” His fledgling Divine movement gathered momentum and wealth through the creation of food services and accumulation of hotels (“Heavens”). By the early 1930s, Father Divine’s extended network became the International Peace Mission movement.

After sporadic harrassment by unamused locals and authorities in various places (including imprisonment), Father Divine settled in Philadelphia in 1942. The City of Brotherly Love turned out to be a good fit, and in 1953, John Devoute, a wealthy disciple, donated his 72-acre Woodmont estate in Gladwyne, not too far from Conshohocken outside Philly proper, to Father D. By that time Mother Divine I had died and Father D had married Canadian-born Mother Divine II, who is, I believe, still alive as of this post, and now in her eighties.

Judging from the photograph on the cover of Jill Watts’ God, Harlem U.S.A.: The Father Divine Story (1995 paperback; originally published in 1992), Father Divine made a lot of people very happy just by his presence. He is well-dressed and smiling, they are giddy or gushing: it’s like a rock star crush, with a divine twist. Given the mostly segregated times when he operated, Father D was a positive figure, providing hope and practical services such as cheap, decent meals and accomodations.

The International Peace Mission movement influenced Jim Jones and how he operated The Peoples Temple. Jones met with Divine, apparently on more than one occasion. After Father D’s evident departure from Earth, Jones attempted a merger of the two movements, but Mother Divine II blocked him. At least one member of the Divine flock ended up at Jonestown, though. According to Jill Watts, Mother D II thought the mass 1978 suicide divine retribution for the attempted takeover. Everything, after all, happens for a reason.

Today's Rune: Warrior.

Peace Be With You.