Edna Rose Ritchings
Encyclopedia
Edna Rose Ritchings was the symbolic maintainer of the International Peace Mission movement
. She was also known as Sweet Angel in the movement, or as Mrs. S. A. Divine or Mother Divine because she is the widow of the movement's leader, Father Divine
. She assisted Father Divine, who claimed to be God
, in his declining years.
A Canadian
convert from Vancouver
, Ritchings was drawn to the movement in its decline in early 1940s while she was still in high school
. As did many adherents of Father Divine, she broke ties with her parents, and adopted a new name, "Sweet Angel". Moving to the then-headquarters of the movement in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, she became one of Father Divine's personal secretaries. She proposed to him one day in the office by saying, "I want to marry you because I know you are God."
They were married in secret on April 29, 1946 in Washington, D.C.
Ritchings was 21, and Father Divine about 65. The marriage was secret from most followers until Ritchings's visa
expired in the summer of 1946, and Father Divine had to disclose it. The wedding date, April 29, thereafter became a celebrated anniversary in the movement.
Father Divine claimed to his flock that Ritchings was the spirit of his first wife reborn. His first wife, Peninniah (d. 1943), was also commonly called "Mother Divine". Interestingly, reincarnation
had not previously been part of Father Divine's doctrine, indeed he had said that the notion of an afterlife
was absurd. To prove that it was a chaste
marriage in accordance with his teachings, Father Divine assigned a female disciple to be Ritchings's constant companion.
Due to Father Divine's declining health, she presided over an increasing number of Peace Mission banquets. Upon his death in 1965, she became the official leader of the movement, a position she continues to hold. The Movement has nearly dwindled to extinction because few new converts have joined and Peace Mission doctrine forbids sex
.
Notably, Mother S. A. Divine fought an attempt by cult leader Jim Jones
to take over the movement in 1971. Jones based some of his doctrines on the International Peace Mission movement
, and claimed to be the reincarnation of Father Divine. The two battled for years, with Divine sending spies into Jones's Peoples Temple
and Jones doing the same to the Peace Mission. Converts to the Peoples Temple wrote Mother Divine trying to convince her that Jones was Father Divine until the infamous mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana
in 1978.
International Peace Mission movement
The International Peace Mission movement was the religious movement started by Father Divine, an African-American who claimed to be God.-History:...
. She was also known as Sweet Angel in the movement, or as Mrs. S. A. Divine or Mother Divine because she is the widow of the movement's leader, Father Divine
Father Divine
Father Divine , also known as Reverend M. J. Divine, was an African American spiritual leader from about 1907 until his death. His full self-given name was Reverend Major Jealous Divine, and he was also known as "the Messenger" early in his life...
. She assisted Father Divine, who claimed to be God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, in his declining years.
A Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
convert from Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Ritchings was drawn to the movement in its decline in early 1940s while she was still in high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
. As did many adherents of Father Divine, she broke ties with her parents, and adopted a new name, "Sweet Angel". Moving to the then-headquarters of the movement in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, she became one of Father Divine's personal secretaries. She proposed to him one day in the office by saying, "I want to marry you because I know you are God."
They were married in secret on April 29, 1946 in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Ritchings was 21, and Father Divine about 65. The marriage was secret from most followers until Ritchings's visa
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
expired in the summer of 1946, and Father Divine had to disclose it. The wedding date, April 29, thereafter became a celebrated anniversary in the movement.
Father Divine claimed to his flock that Ritchings was the spirit of his first wife reborn. His first wife, Peninniah (d. 1943), was also commonly called "Mother Divine". Interestingly, reincarnation
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
had not previously been part of Father Divine's doctrine, indeed he had said that the notion of an afterlife
Afterlife
The afterlife is the belief that a part of, or essence of, or soul of an individual, which carries with it and confers personal identity, survives the death of the body of this world and this lifetime, by natural or supernatural means, in contrast to the belief in eternal...
was absurd. To prove that it was a chaste
Sexual abstinence
Sexual abstinence is the practice of refraining from some or all aspects of sexual activity for medical, psychological, legal, social, philosophical or religious reasons.Common reasons for practicing sexual abstinence include:*poor health - medical celibacy...
marriage in accordance with his teachings, Father Divine assigned a female disciple to be Ritchings's constant companion.
Due to Father Divine's declining health, she presided over an increasing number of Peace Mission banquets. Upon his death in 1965, she became the official leader of the movement, a position she continues to hold. The Movement has nearly dwindled to extinction because few new converts have joined and Peace Mission doctrine forbids sex
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
.
Notably, Mother S. A. Divine fought an attempt by cult leader Jim Jones
Jim Jones
James Warren "Jim" Jones was the founder and leader of the Peoples Temple, which is best known for the November 18, 1978 mass suicide of 909 Temple members in Jonestown, Guyana along with the killings of five other people at a nearby airstrip.Jones was born in Indiana and started the Temple in...
to take over the movement in 1971. Jones based some of his doctrines on the International Peace Mission movement
International Peace Mission movement
The International Peace Mission movement was the religious movement started by Father Divine, an African-American who claimed to be God.-History:...
, and claimed to be the reincarnation of Father Divine. The two battled for years, with Divine sending spies into Jones's Peoples Temple
Peoples Temple
Peoples Temple was a religious organization founded in 1955 by Jim Jones that, by the mid-1970s, included over a dozen locations in California including its headquarters in San Francisco...
and Jones doing the same to the Peace Mission. Converts to the Peoples Temple wrote Mother Divine trying to convince her that Jones was Father Divine until the infamous mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana
Jonestown
Jonestown was the informal name for the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, an intentional community in northwestern Guyana formed by the Peoples Temple led by Jim Jones. It became internationally notorious when, on November 18, 1978, 918 people died in the settlement as well as in a nearby...
in 1978.
External links
- www.peacemission.info - an official website for Father Divine's International Peace Mission Movement