The daily worker., 1934-08-06
MONDAY AUGUST 6, 1884
"Father DeVine Is God"

sGS IT correct to make such a united
front?", numerous comrades asked
after the Madison Square demonstration
against war and fascism on Saturday.
The cause of their nervousness was
the participation of some four thousand
Negro workers, men and women, under
banners. slogans and even photographs of Father
Devtne the Harlem preacher.
God is peace; Father Devine is GOd." Father
Devine is the Lord" Father Devne represents
True Democracy Justice, Freedom, Equality Love-
Such we're the banners under which these Negro
workers marched And some of our comrades were
startled and confused
These comrades did not see the entire dem
onstration participated in by seyentyseven organ
izations and close to fifty thousand people They
failed to realize that for the first time so many
thousands of Negroes were participating in a CEN
trail downtown demonstration in New York City,
and against war and fascism at that, under the
banners of the League Against War and Fascism.
They did not consider the effect of this mighty
anti-war ant-fascst demonstration the follow
ers of Father Devine They saw only: Father
Devine is God" and they questioned the correctness
of united front policy that brought these people
to the demonstration obviously forgetting that great
masses of workers, small farmers, sharecroppers,
ETC. who must be won by us, still under the
influence of religious beliefs.
The approach of many comrades to these rel-
gious workers was also bad, because it was inefec-
tive Our comrades, some of them argued abstracty
against religion They tried to prove that Father
Devine was NOT God" etc. AS result the op-
portunity afforded to draw these honest but con-
fused Negro workers more fully into the fight
against war and fascism inadequately utilized.
The Communist Party of course, has as one of
its tasks the emancipation of the totiling masses
from all religious deception and superstition. Within
our own ranks and among the broader mass of the
workers it is our job to strive to uproo all these
harmful ideas which spring out of the very per-
secution, oppression and exploitation of the work
ers The workers, depressed by capitalism, seek
way out in heaven, or by following a Father Devine
We must convince them that the way out is through
class struggle through overthrowing capitalism
through building socialism
But" said Comrade Lenin eve must under no
circumstances allow ourselves to be side-tracked
into treatment of the religious question in the
abstract - Realistically matter of reason
Tour comrades learned that Father Devines fol-
lowers could not won by the reasonable argument
that Father Devine is not God = Ed quite de-
tached from the class struggle presentation
often given by radical bourgeois democrats
No books no preaching can possibly enlighten the
proIetariat unless It is enlightened by its
struggle against the dark forces of capitalism.
union in that genulncy revolutionary struggle OIL
the oppressed class to set up heaven earth
Is more important to than a unity in proieta-
rian opinion about the imaginary paradise in the
sky
Father Devine attracts his followers precisely by
embodying the desires of the masses in his new"
religion. The Negro people, oppressed, prosecuted
even lynched, above everything else want true de-
mocracy justice, freedom, equality, love-" This is
what he promises them. And they believe that
he ran fll1 believe.
Devine is God"
But still, while carrying such strange and foolish
placards, they join with Communists and other
militants in protest against and fascism. They
can likewise be drawn into strike struggles the
struggles of the unemployed the Scottsboro- -Hern-
don fight ETC. In these class fights under our lead
ership they will learn to fight here and for
heaven on earth for socialism
The bringing of Father Devine's followers to
Madison Square correct Let us bring them
into all our mass protests and struggles.