Doctrine of Father Divine
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The Doctrine of Father Divine are the teachings of the late Father Divine (d. 1965) and his religious movement, the International Peace Mission movement. The most obvious teaching of Father Divine is his claim to be God, but his doctrine constituted a larger coherent system of thought.
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Theology
"Father Divine" preached of his divinity from even before he was known as "Father Divine" in the late1910s. He taught that his life fulfilled all Biblical prophecies about the second coming, regarding himself as Jesus Christ reborn. However, Father Divine also lectured that Christ existed in "every joint" of his follower's bodies, and that he was "God's light" incarnated to show how to establish heaven on earth and show the way of eternal life. For example:
- Condescendingly I came as an existing Spirit unembodied, until condescendingly inputting MYSELF in a Bodily form in the likeness of men I came, that I might speak to them in their own language, coming to a country that is supposed to be the Country of the Free, where mankind is privileged to serve GOD according to the dictates of his own conscience...establishing the Kingdom of GOD in the midst of them; that they might become to be living epistles as individuals, seen and read of men, and verifying what has long been said: <--YES, this quote is correct. Father Divine used language much less grammatical than this.--!>
- "The tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them, and God Himself shall be with them, and shall be their God, and they shall be his people."
- – quoted in Peace Mission Movement p. 62, Mrs. S. A. Divine, 1985 and God, Harlem, U.S.A. p. 178, Jill Watts, 1992.
Interestingly, Father Divine and his followers capitalized pronouns referring to him, much like "LORD" translated from the tetragrammation is capitalized in the English Bible.
Positive thought
Father Divine can be considered part of the New Thought movement, indeed many of his white followers came from this tradition.
Welfare
Father Divine was particularly concerned with the downtrodden of society including but not limited to blacks.
Race
Scholars disagree about whether Father Divine, an African American, was a civil rights activist, but he certainly advocated some progressive changes to race relations. For example, because he believed that every human was accorded equal rights, he believed that all members of lynch mobs ought to be tried and convicted as murderers. Father Divine's anti-lynching campaigns resonated in the black ghettos where his congregations lived, and he got over a quarter million people to sign his anti-lynching proposals.
Although Father Divine was an African American, he refused to call himself or any of his black disciples as such.
Patriotism
Father advocated that followers think of themselves as simply Americans. He believed that America was the birthplace of the "Kingdom of God", which would ultimately encompass truths of all religious principles, prominently equality and brotherhood. The Movement was supportive of the United States Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and particularly the Bill of Rights as inspired documents, believing that they outlined a more ideal life.
Communal living
Toward this life, followers of Father Divine owned and managed property collectively. The movement strove to alleviate poverty by feeding the poor and through education in written English, which the Movement believed was the "universal language."
Chastity
Father Divine established an "International Modesty Code" which forbids smoking, drinking, and profanity. Additionally, it forbid tips, bribes, receiving presents, and "undue mixing of the sexes," along with women wearing slacks or short skirts and men wearing short-sleeves.
Thrift and capitalism
Father Divine advocated a number of odd economic practices, which his followers abided by. He opposed life insurance (which converts were to cancel), welfare, social security, and credit. Thus, the Movement advocated economic self-sufficiency. His insistence that his followers refuse welfare not related to employment was estimated to have saved New York City $2 million during the Depression.
Business owners in the Movement named their ventures to show affiliation with Father Divine, and obeyed all of these practices. They would only buy or accept cash. Each was to sell below competitor's price while refusing tips and gratuities. Finally, they refrained from trade in alcohol and tobacco.
Although Father Divine himself was married, the movement discouraged it along with any excessive mingling of the sexes. In the "Heavens" and other living spaces the Movement maintained, separate areas existed for men and women.
References
- International Peace Mission movement Homepage (http://www.libertynet.org/fdipmm/)
- God, Harlem U.S.A: the Father Divine story, Jill Watts, Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1992 ISBN 0-52-007455-6