The City Occult #2: Father Divine’s Complicated Legacy and his Influence on Jonestown

The Man, The Myth, The Divine

George Baker AKA Reverend Major Jealous Divine AKA The Messenger, but most famously known as Father Divine was a man of many talents and complications. He was a vital civil rights leader of the 30s, 40s, 50s, AND 60s who pushed anti-lynching agenda, as well as racial equality and integration. He was also, subjectively, a cult leader who declared himself to be god and required his followers to surrender their worldly possessions.

Unsurprisingly, his legacy is a complex one, which has led to a relatively hushed history, at least in comparison to some of his peers (peers both good and bad: i.e. MLK & Jim Jones. By religious and civil rights historians, he’s neither condemned nor celebrated and although he certainly belongs in the history books for a number of ways, it’s seldom he’s found there.

Father Divine was a radical evangelist who proclaimed himself to be God in the flesh, here to bring heaven to earth and founded the International Peace Mission. A movement which, at one point, boosted possibly over 1 million followers, and certainly hundreds of thousands. The movement fed thousands during the Great Depression and provided housing, education, and clothing through much of its tenure. It also required members to forfeit their money and worldly possessions for the cause, as part of a communal living arrangement and to practice celibacy. Members who directly received food, clothing, and housing from the International Peace Mission often worked in one of the many businesses owned by Father Divine and the mission or served as caretakers to the various properties in New York, New Jersey, and eventually in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia.

Still, for a man of such stature, mystique, and influence he is seldom discussed in both cult conversation and amongst civil rights historians. So who was this evangelist from Rockville, MD? How did he form such an enormous following, and why is his legacy hushed or shuttered by those who do remember the man and his mission?

God walked Broad Street in the 1960s when Father Divine and the International Peace Mission movement came to settle in Philadelphia, or, at least that’s what he’d like you to believe.

The MIssion

The cult found its footing in the roaring 1920s in Sayville, NY, but a pivotal moment in Father Divine’s trajectory came in 1913 in Georgia, when he was still George Baker. He was jailed for a period of time and placed on a chain gang due to disagreements with local ministers. While he was there, administrators at said jail endured a serious auto accident and Baker used this moment to claim their suffering was a direct result of their lack of faith, not in God and in the Holy Spirit, but in the preachings of George Baker. He had already been guest preaching at a local baptist church and amassed a small following and transported his congregation to New York where many women of color flocked to join as he preached both racial and gender equality at a time when it was extremely dangerous to do so. Another reason he was considered a civil rights leader of his era.

He also preached gender equality and women held high ranks in the movement from day one, all the way through to present day.

Father Divine with Mother Divine, his first wife, Peninniah, looking at a creepy portrait of him preaching to his flock in the mountains.

A NEW NAME AND NOTORIETY

In New York, Baker began buying hotels to turn into boarding houses for his followers. He married his first wife, Peninniah, and engaged in a spiritual and celibate relationship, apparently of a higher ordinance than the traditional marriage, and she came to be known as “Mother Divine.” They bought a house in Long Island and threw extravagant dinner parties. Issues soon arose with his rich white neighbors (shocker), who formed a mob around the house and summoned police. George Baker, now Father Divine, was once again arrested and charged for disturbing the peace. He received the maximum sentence (which was one year) and the judge even called him a menace to society.

A few short days later, that judge died of a heart attack. Again, Father Divine took credit for the man’s death, and essentially said that he hated to do it. He specified that he had asked for the judge to let him into his heart. The judge refused, and that’s why he had to die. The logic is rickety and shifty but the press, oh, they ate it UP.

And with press like that, comes notoriety. Father Divine quickly grew to international fame (and infamy) as people came from all over to hear his preaching, from Cleveland to the West Indies they flocked to New York, to eat the food he provided for free in the middle of the Great Depression, and meet the self-proclaimed God. 

Harlem renaissance

Father Divine had a large following in Harlem, NY and moved his congregation from Sayville to engage them. The hotels he purchased were deemed “Heavens” and he was quickly filling them. At one point he and the Peace Mission were the largest property owners in Harlem. His influence spread well beyond New York at this point. According to Wikipedia, by 1934, branches had opened in Los Angeles, California, and Seattle, Washington, and gatherings occurred in France, Switzerland, Canada, and Australia, but the membership totals were drastically overstated in the press. Time magazine estimated nearly two million followers, but the true figure of adherents was probably a few tens of thousands and a larger body of sympathizers who attended his gatherings.

He would continue to expand his influence and presence, consistently traveling and holding banquets, sermons, and ceremonies on the east coast. He introduced his second wife, a 20-year-old white woman from Canada as “The Spotless Virgin Bride” and Mother Divine reincarnated, to a stunned Philadelphia banquet in 1946, three years after Peninniah’s death. She was known as “Sweet Angel” in the congregation prior to becoming Mother Divine. She was born Edna Rose Ritchings in Vancouver and would run the cult after Father’s death and until hers in 2017, dying at Woodmont at the age of 91.

Mother Divine would later quote: “When Father married me, he symbolically married everyone else,” Mother Divine told Newsday in 2005. “It’s not a personal marriage. It’s Christ married to his church.” New York Times article

A Separatist and Celibate Ordinance

It may be hard to believe that people really thought this man was God, the son thereof, but as all good cult leaders do, Divine provided things for his followers that they were desperately in need of—food, employment, affordable housing, water, and community. This example of manipulative generosity inspired Reverend Jim Jones to do the same, decades later, when he visited Divine to ask for tips on running a “congregation”… we’ll get to that.

But there was a catch, of course, and that catch came in the form of a celibacy vow, even for married couples. Which is probably one of the reasons his followers, although still preaching his name and living in his ways at Woodmont in Gladwyne, PA, have dwindled to merely a room full. The men and women also lived separately, gender segregation rather than racial.

One step forward, one step back.

“Woodmont” in Gladwyne, PA — courtesy of Wikipedia

In addition, the cult members couldn’t smoke, drink, or take welfare. The congregation essentially became a form of self-contained socialism in which all money made, both individually and as a group, was used to upkeep the peace movement and their communal farm, which provided the food that they ate.

Intentions

This might seem like a genuinely kind thing to do, and it was certainly helpful to the people at the time, especially during the Great Depression, but intent is key. At this point, Father Divine had accumulated a monopoly on every single member of his so-called church—their thoughts, their actions, their food, their jobs (or lack of a job), and even their families, which were separated due to the celibacy law. And you could say that everything he took away he gave back to the community at large but…did he?

Though most of his followers had been impoverished and were now somewhere in the lower middle-class bracket, Divine was living large. He claimed to have never taken a check, and was self-employed, but active followers lived very simple and situated lives. The banquet dinners were massive and extravagant but everyday meals were far from the like. While Baker drove a caddy, wore expensive suits, and even owned a private plane. George Baker was sued in the state of NY for fraud. This is where Philadelphia comes in, and things start to get really interesting.

Enter Philadelphia

In the midst of losing his legal battle, Father decided that, instead of paying the money he owed, that he’d up and move his entire organization to Philadelphia. There he wouldn’t be arrested and forced to pay this begrudged follower back their worldly possessions. Yes, one follower caused this upheaval.

While in PA, Mother Divine passed away, without Father at her side, garnering further negative press that had been following from his final days in New York and in Colorado, where a devout millionaire disciple of his kidnapped a teenage girl and proclaimed her “Virgin Mary” and himself “John the Revelator.”

Divine and the Mission again began again purchasing buildings and hotels for congregants to live in and founded the Circle Mission Church, Home, and Training School, at South Broad and Catherine Street. He picked back up his habit of throwing these elaborate dinner parties after which his sermons would be broadcasted in the general direction of City Hall and Temple University, declaring his own Godliness.

Eventually, he would purchase the Divine Lorraine Hotel which became the first racially-integrated hotel in a large Amerian city.

The Divine Lorraine Hotel today - courtesy of Billy Penn

Jim Jones being creepy with kids — courtesy of ABC News

Father’s Influence on Jim Jones

In Philadelphia, in the 60s, that’s when Jim Jones came knocking. Now, at this point, Jones had already grown a small but impressive following through his cult, ahem, congregation, which he named “The People’s Temple”. He had been using the same techniques as Father Divine by providing the things his followers were in dire need of: taking care of their electricity bills, calling out racism and curing them of cancer... However, Jones wanted to learn from the master, and so he left his congregation at the hands of his second in command and headed out to PA. It was during this time that Jim began to also wear expensive suits, push his socialist ideas, tape all of his sermons, and wear sunglasses inside (likely, in part, because he was high all of the time).

Suddenly, the life of Father Divine was cut short when he died in 1965 from the natural causes of his chronic illnesses. Though he had a funeral and was buried, his life continued on through Jones. After his mentor’s death, Jim Jones became paranoid about losing his congregation (again, drugs) and began to plan a pilgrimage of his own followers. 

From this San Diego State University article.

Jones’ last trip to the Peace Mission in June 1971 ended badly, when he made a direct play to take over leadership of Divine’s movement – even going so far, according to Raven, as to claim that he was “Father Divine in a new body” (p. 140) – and Mother Divine firmly rebuked him. The Temple contingent with Jones was forced out of Peace Mission lodging in the middle of the following night – there are conflicting rumors as to the direct cause of the final rupture – and they never were allowed back. Even as late as 1976, however, the Temple’s cross country bus trips always passed through Philadelphia, and Jones’ invitations for people to join his cause – such as this sermon from 1976 – included language directed at members of the Peace Mission.

Twelve years after George Baker’s death, Jones and his congregation of over 900 emigrated to Guyana to escape allegations of illicit activity and his own paranoid ideations. It was there that, on November 18th of 1978, the cult leader stepped up onto his pulpit and began his very last service with the phrase, “oh how very much I’ve loved you all”. When troops reached his commune at Jonestown the next day, 913 bodies laid rotting in the sun. Jones had commanded his followers to drink poisoned Flavor-Aid (it wasn’t actually Kool-Aid) and commit mass suicide. Those who didn’t were gunned down, and at the end of it all, Reverend Jim Jones put a bullet between his own teeth. All of which, along with the rest of the preacher’s sermons, was recorded for the whole world to hear.

Allegations Against Mother Divine & The Woodmont Leadership Today

Mother Divine would go on to take over the congregation. It’s alleged that she and one of the youngest members of the group, Roger Klaus (who maintains Woodmont to this day), began running the International Peace Mission into the ground. This allegation is made by Tommy Garcia. He spoke with our editor, Kevin Chevalier, for two plus hours over the phone. Now in his 60s, Tommy claims Mother Divine (who died in 2017) was racist and had a selfish agenda. The mission dwindled rapidly after Father Divine’s death but not because their leader was no longer, but because Mother Divine and her “cronies” began exiling members and using the extra mission funds for her unnecessary personal luxuries, including Tommy as he was sent to boarding school.

Tommy also claims to be one of the main reasons why Jim Jones was unable to take over the movement, as he was considered prodigal son to Father Divine, an heir was in the way. Despite going on to live an impressive an successful life after he left Woodmont as a teenager and suffering physical abuse from his father at a very young age. His issue today lies with the leadership at Woodmont who he suggests should be using the assets acquired for good, not for luxury.

You can delve into Tommy’s story on his website here — tommygarcia.com

Father Divine’s Legacy

It’s easy to say that Divine is a master manipulator and self-serving cult leader, I suppose that’s a matter of opinion, but this is America where religious freedom is indoctrinated into the fabric of this country and for good reason. Beyond a couple weirdos, the International Peace Mission movement was a loving and caring bunch. They lived in racially integrated and gender-segregated harmony for decades (and continue to do so, in a much smaller number to this day). His influence helped push the civil rights movement forward and he was a man well ahead of his time in that context. Father Divine did a lot of good and lived a large life. His legacy deserves to live on in greater public view for both the good and the bad.

Divine’s followers today at Woodmont — courtesy Lawrence Journal-World

The City Occult Series