Father Divine

Father Divine ( IPA: ' fa ː ðɘ dɪ'vaɪn ), German: " Divine Father " (* around 1880 when George Baker, † September 10, 1965 in Woodmont, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was an African-American religious leader in especially the 1930s was active in the United States.

Life

Father Divine founded the Peace Mission Movement and formulated a religious doctrine, which mainly gained more and more influence among the black American population. He advocated 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 assistant to Father Jehovia, the founder of a religious group. Beginning of the 20th century, he worked as a gardener in Baltimore. When staying in California in 1906, he was seized by the theses Charles Fillmore, founder of Unity Church. He frequently visited the Baptist church and joined Samuel Morris that he preached with him in Baltimore, then in the South ( 1912-1914 ). Soon after, he settled (1914 ) with a few followers in Brooklyn, then in Sayville (Long Iceland ) in 1919. He gave numerous speeches in the city of New York City, particularly in Harlem in Rockland Palace, an old casino. In the 1930s, he settled in Harlem. The members of his movement bought hotels in the city to make it into " Heavens " (heaven), in which the poorest can find accommodation during the Great Depression and were able to look for work. After the riots in 1935, the movement became more and more political. He opposed increasing awareness of racial segregation. In 1940 he organized a petition against the lynching, which collected 250,000 signatures. 1942 could be Father Divine in Philadelphia, where he remained until his death. In 1951, he demanded that the descendants of slaves reparations should be paid.

Followers of his movement were also active in Germany.

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