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Father Divine

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Religious Figure

The Resume

    (circa 1880-September 10, 1965)
    Possibly born in Rockville, Maryland
    Birth name is believed to have been George Baker
    Full self-given name was Reverend General Jealous Divine
    Founder of the International Peace Mission movement
    Established several ‘Heavens’ (communes) for his followers

Why he might be annoying:

    He claimed to be God.
    He obscured the details of his early life, saying he had ‘combusted’ one day in 1900 at the corner of 7th Avenue and 134th Street in Harlem.
    In his sermons, he invented words like ‘physicalating’ and ‘tangiblated.’
    Although he drove Rolls-Royces and Dusenbergs, he officially owned no property and paid no income taxes.
    When an ex-follower sued demanding the return of his life savings, he fled to Philadelphia rather than pay up.
    His first wife was two decades older than him; his second wife was four decades younger.
    His followers were banned from smoking, drinking, swearing, movies, cosmetics and sex.
    A disgruntled follower, ‘Faithful Mary,’ claimed that he seduced female converts with the line ‘Mary wasn’t a virgin.’
    Jim Jones claimed to be his reincarnation.

Why he might not be annoying:

    The Heavens were set up as interracial missions for the homeless and jobless.
    He campaigned against lynching and discrimination.
    He was so influential in the 1930s that Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia sought his endorsement.
    Several DAs sent female undercover agents to infiltrate the Heavens and obtain conclusive evidence of immorality, but never found any untoward behavior.
    His claims divinity received a boost when a judge who sentenced him to a year in prison for disturbing the peace died from a heart attack (June 9, 1932). Father Divine allegedly commented, ‘I hated to do it.’

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 64 Votes: 57.81% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 18 Votes: 88.89% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 14 Votes: 78.57% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 19 Votes: 47.37% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 35 Votes: 48.57% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 22 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 19 Votes: 63.16% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 28 Votes: 53.57% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 111 Votes: 51.35% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 31 Votes: 51.61% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 101 Votes: 80.20% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 147 Votes: 74.83% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 92 Votes: 69.57% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 74 Votes: 71.62% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 287 Votes: 78.40% Annoying