Father Divine

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Father Divine ( IPA : 'faːðɘ dɪ'vaɪn), in German "Divine Father", (* around 1880 as George Baker ; † September 10, 1965 in Woodmont , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania ) was an Afro-American religious leader who was above all worked in the United States in the 1930s .

Life

Father Divine founded the Peace Mission Movement and formulated a religious doctrine that became more and more influential, predominantly among the black American population. He stood up for the African-American population and fought against racial segregation in the United States. He also called himself Reverend General Jealous Divine , and served as the Messenger ( the messenger known).

Little is known about his childhood. In 1899 he became an assistant to Father Jehovia , the founder of a religious group. At the beginning of the 20th century he worked as a gardener in Baltimore . During a stay in California in 1906 he was seized by the theses of Charles Fillmore , the founder of Unity Church . He attended the Baptist Church frequently and joined Samuel Morris, preaching with him in Baltimore, then in the South (1912-1914). Soon after, he and some followers settled in Brooklyn (1914), then in Sayville ( Long Island ) in 1919. He made numerous speeches in New York City , especially in Harlem at Rockland Palace, an old casino. He settled in Harlem in the 1930s. The members of his movement bought hotels in the city to it, "Heavens" ( sky make) in which the poorest during the Great Depression find accommodation and were able to look for work. After the 1935 riots, the movement became more and more political. He increasingly opposed segregation . In 1940 he organized a petition against lynching that garnered 250,000 signatures. In 1942, Father Divine settled in Philadelphia , where he remained until his death. In 1951 he demanded that the descendants of the slaves should be paid reparations.

Supporters of his movement were also active in Germany.

His movement was a forerunner of the American Civil rights movement ( civil rights movement ).

literature

  • Sara Harris (Harriet Crittenden): Father Divine Holy Husband . Doubleday, New York NY 1953
  • Sara Harris (with the assistance of Harriet Crittenden): The Incredible Father Divine . WH Allen, London 1954
  • Kenneth E. Burnham, God Comes to America: Father Divine and the Peace Mission Movement. Lambeth Press, Boston 1979, ISBN 0-931186-01-3
  • Robert Weisbrot: Father Divine and the Struggle for Racial Equality . University of Illinois Press, Urbana 1983, ISBN 0-7910-1122-4
  • Jill Watts: God, Harlem USA: the Father Divine story . University of California Press, Los Angeles 1992, ISBN 0-520-07455-6

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Father Divine
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Reverend General Jealous Divine; the messenger; George Baker
BRIEF DESCRIPTION religious African American leader
DATE OF BIRTH around 1880
DATE OF DEATH September 10, 1965
Place of death Woodmont , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania