Father Divine

International Peace Mission Movement

Major Beliefs, Theology and Practices: Americanism.

“The American Ideal of Democracy, of Freedom, Equity, Humanity and Justice for all men, both at home and abroad, is a vision that I must fulfill, for America has pledged Her faith in the Omnipotent One and placed Her land under the guidance and protection of the Almighty.”

1. Americanism.

Followers believe that America, as the amalgamation of all nations, was predestined to be the birthplace of the Kingdom of GOD on earth. they consider the official documents of the United States of America – the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution with its Bill of Rights and Amendments – were divinely inspired, and that they take their places with the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible as instruments of the synonymous teachings of Democracy, Brotherhood, Americanism, Christianity and true Judaism. Therefore they are patriotic, law-abiding citizens. Father Divine has said, “the system of rising in opposition to government and to organizations and to different groups and the like that is not according to MY Principle; but it is the amalgamation of all religions and the amalgamation of all organizations by scientifically working cooperatively and working in unison.”

Furthermore, followers believe that the flag of the United States of America shall fly in every land as the universal symbol of Liberty, Unity, Freedom, Equity and Justice, through the eventual acceptance of the Constitution of the United States by all nations.

By His Personal Life of Independence and Brotherhood, Father Divine set the Standard for a real American by being a citizen of the world, without being limited to family, race, nationality or religion. Therefore even in the early thirties He spoke out against the persecution of the Jews in Germany as He did against the harsh treatment of the Scots Boys in Alabama.

Father Divine maintained His freedom of thought and action by repeatedly refusing all financial aid, including grants from both the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations and private donations, in one instance for as much as $700,000. He maintained His integrity and stood unwaveringly for His religious and political convictions and could not be influenced by power or money. Father Divine was exceptionally adamant in His refusal to depend on money in any way. See the five affidavits in Chapter 7, Witnesses of the Truth – especially that of John Lamb, in which Father’s own Words on the subject are quoted.

At the same time, He was feeding sometimes as many as 3,000 unemployed daily without charge, and running a free employment agency to help them find work, His goal being to produce a happy, independent citizenry with an understanding of their Constitutional rights and a willingness to help make laws in accord with same. His very presence was an impelling moral force, which caused untold thousands to willingly forsake violence and crime as a way of life, throw away their weapons and to cooperate constructively for the advancement of others as well as themselves.

From the minds of this nucleus of people believing that Father Divine had ushered in a new dispensation for humanity, a platform for righteous government was drawn up in 1936, and sent to officials of city, state and federal Government, as well as to Heads of Government around the world.
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Excerpt by Father Divine

I recall somewhere around about the year nineteen twenty, nor many years after moving out in Sayville, Long Island, to live, there was a song composed by the Spirit of My Presence. According to my conscious conviction, or Conscious Realization whichever, I brought it forth, and a transcriber said he got in touch with the phonograph company, the Victrola Company and be brought representatives to guarantee me fifty thousand dollars for that one song. I said, and still am saying, I could not, cannot, and would not sell my gift, my spirit, my mind, my words, my life, for a million dollars. I have never sold a song, – not one song ballad, – neither have I endorsed any person selling a ballad, for if they are the words of life by inspiration, they are the invisible Christ in that expression. It is indeed wonderful! If I sell the invisible Christ by inspiration, I would just as well to sell the visible Christ as personified, as Judas did.”

Father Divine
Excerpt from Message given at 20 W. 115th St., NYC on Friday, July 5, 1935

Your only hope of salvation is to love one another without restraint even if you do not feel like it

Father Divine’s sermon given at the holy communion table of the Circle Mission Church [764-772 Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pa] on Monday night and Tuesday Morning of July 31 and August 1, 1950 at 2:06 a.m.

Love one another even as I have loved you! How can you say you love GOD Whom you have never seen and hate your fellow brethren? This little thought of Love should be stressed in your memory and in your conscious mentality vividly to remember subconsciously and keep uppermost in consciousness that your only hope of salvation is to love one another without restraint…

Behold, behold, behold, the people is One
The people is One!
And they have all one language,
And they have all one language,
And this they begin to do;
And now nothing, nothing, nothing will be restrained from them
Which they have imagined to do!

And now nothing, nothing, nothing will be restrained from them,
Nothing will be restrained from them
Which they have imagined to do!

FATHER speaks as follows:

PEACE, EVERYONE! At this instance I have arisen to say, it is good to be here and to hear the inspirational compositions in songs and in praise as a forecast and as a guide to lead and to direct you on your way.

That little composition which says, “The People is One,” I have sung it constantly and preached it continually in the hearts and lives of the children of men until they have been convinced, yea, converted into the recognition of the Truth concerning the Mystery I gave them. But another thought for consideration, while sitting and thinking the People is One; and the Commission of CHRIST on earth among men was;

“His Name shall be called Immanuel, which is being interpreted, GOD is with us.”

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Excerpt – Father Divine in the South around 1908

I call your attention to the time of the great panic in the South and in all parts of this Country, around 1908 or 1909. Around about that time and right on, some people in the Southern States, women especially, were working earning one dollar a week, having to pay for lodging, and they did not live on the premises. It happened to be that there was a young lady I met, in going through the South and there were many others, but especially this one, that was earning one dollar a week. I said to this young lady as in the same case with many others. “You tell your Madam you can not work for less than two dollars, no way—just start at that.” She told her the next day and she said, “ You know you will get one dollar a week now, and when you work four weeks you will have four dollars,” and she was not even staying on the premises, but was staying with some of her friends and had to walk home. She would not pay her any more, so I said, “All right.” I put this identical lady, and many other young ladies and men and women in Agency work. I Personally did it! That was just before the great move in the South came up, just before the great migration from the South began, and I put this lady to work in Agency work. She began to earn from eight to ten dollars a day. I said, “I will bring you out,” and for many others I did it in the same way.

I remember a man, a healthy, strong, robust man, working for fifteen cents a day—working in the field cutting corn, or pulling fodder, or something like that. “They said he could only earn fifteen cents a day and he worked hard. I said, “Well I will stop you.” As a first step, I got him in more public work, like in a Mill. I placed quite a few of them in the Lumber Mills. They began getting eighty and ninety cents a day. He was a foreman and a good worker, and earned ninety cents a day. They said they would give him ninety-five cents a day—five cents more, as he was a great worker “All right,” I said, ”but tell them to give you more.” They would not give him more, so I put this very man, and many others on the Agency list, and they went out and did work in that same City, and he began to earn from six to eight dollars a day. He did not earn as much as the young ladies, apparently they were better salesmen. However, I had a way there, that no man knew but MYSELF. Through working silently, apparently, and not establishing MYSELF as a Person. I made many, independent from that angle and from that point of view, and great is the Spirit in the midst of you, to accomplish anything that I teach it to do. It is indeed Wonderful!

Father Divine
Monday, March 5, 1934 N.D. 6/26/82

The Earth’s Vocabularies With All Civilization’s Philosophies Are Inadequate To Explain The Significance Of God’s Actual Presence Among These People

Our Father’s Message given at Auditorium Rockland Palace 155th street & 8th avenue, New York City, N.Y. on Sunday, March 3, 1940 at 11:35 PM.

Father-DivinePEACE, EVERYONE!

Here we all are again, there I sit and stand, here I go and there I come and here I shall remain! Aren’t you glad? Realizing this is not mortality, matter, neither is it personality, neither is it individuality but a living reality that has been made real, tangible and practical and shall be recognized and established universally!

I have long since declared by composition as a motto for humanity’s consideration as I Am present everywhere, I have declared–

“I will preach Christ in words but more so in Deeds and in actions, and I will put My Spirit in them and cause them to walk in My Statutes.”

As a man, AbrahAm had many seeds, did he not? His seeds were as the stars of Heaven. The transmission of the Impersonal being reinculcated and reincarnated, reproduced and repersonified, it is just as expressive. Aren’t you glad? That which is expressive it is expressive, for it is incorruptible and undefiled, it remains the same.

Conquering Own Will, Greater Than Taking a city

Then I say it is a privilege to realize, as AbrahAm conquered his own will, he was greater than one who had taken or would take a city. Conquering his own will, he brought all others in the same category into subjection to the same supernatural Presence by which his will was conquered. Can you not see the mystery? For it was an Impersonal victory! Although it was observed individually, it was a principle as a standard, Impersonal and expressive and operative for as many as would receive Him, and as with Abraham, so with the unfoldment of this mystery today; that which is good, that which is desirable, that which is incorruptible, that which cannot fade away will remain throughout all Eternity! Hence in the preaching of Christ in words, you may observe a person, but when I preach in deeds and in actions and transmit My Spirit to the children of Men and cause them to imbibe Me and reproduce Me, there and then you will know that it is something more than mortal to command!

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