What an interesting personality of the New Negro Renaissance! While Father Divine’s claims to be God were pretty outrageous, I thought it was amazing that during the midst of the Great Depression his followers were not on public assistance. Father Divine commanded his followers to withdraw from the public welfare rolls as part of their commitment to his movement. In addition to his followers remaining independent of government aid, Father Divine cared for thousands of others in Harlem at the height of the Depression, offering inexpensive food for the hungry in his many restaurants. It’s too bad these results are probably not possible in society without the accompanying fanaticism and belief in a religious figure. Father Divine’s power lay in his charisma and ability to get others to cooperate fully with his mission.
I had forgotten this next bit of trivia until surfing the net for more Father Divine details….James Earl Jones played Father Divine in the 1980 made for TV movie “Guyana Tragedy, The Story of Jim Jones”. In the 1970’s Jim Jones tried to take over the remaining movement after Father Divine’s death, even claiming to be Father Divine reincarnated. I believe Mother Divine set the record straight with Jim Jones, so there was no connection with Father Divine when the Guyana tragedy occurred in 1978.
-- Kim Hampton
