Basic Information
This was a group founded by Father Divine in 1919. They lived together- first in a house on Long Island and then in a series of hotels that they ran throughout the movement. The members lived a life of chastity separated by gender. The only exception to this was Father Divine who was allowed to sleep in the same room with his wife since he would have the will to resist the carnal urges. Throughout the Great Depression the group the group would do odd jobs to supplement their income. Surprisingly enough they could never supply enough workers for the demand. Throughout the depression they always had a warm bed to sleep in and a full meal to eat. Their modesty code was:
No Smoking ~ No Drinking
No Obscenity ~ No Vulgarity ~ No Profanity
No Undue Mixing of Sexes
No Receiving of Gifts, Presents, or Bribes [1]
The group went from penniless to rich during the depression. One of the legends about the group is that a couple had joined the group entrusting their savings to Father Divine. Later when they left the group they sued for the return of their savings. The first judge found in favor of the couple. While waiting on the appeal to go through he had a heart attack. When a reporter asked Father Divine for his comment he responded with, “I certainly hated to have to do that to him.” The second judge found in favor of Father Divine. Each night at the banquet they would say, “Father Divine is God Almighty.”
Sources
Game and Story Uses
- This offers a large range of possibilities for a campaign. In a world where religious powers are real and interfere in the lives of mortals, perhaps he was exactly what he claimed to be, or perhaps he was the exact opposite of what he claimed to be.
- In a fantasy campaign he could be a particularly powerful wizard in a world with a low number of such beings. Perhaps the people following really believe him, or perhaps their situation is bad enough that they’ll follow anything that leads them to a warm bed and a full stomach.
- A post apocalyptic setting could give this group a very dark tone. Imagine they are preaching peace. They do nothing to harm anyone- only resorting to violence when necessary to protect themselves, but they have all the resources; resources that are to scarce to share with unbelievers.
- And, of course, the 1920s are the primary setting for Call of Cthulhu. This organization could either be a front for Mythos activities, or a red herring distracting the investigators from serious threats.
- The name alone should be enough to mark them out as villains (much in the same way that any country that has "democratic" in its name … isn't).