Christianity

Christianity
The fleur-de-lis cross, used as the symbol of the Followers of the Apocalypse since their founding in the Boneyard.
Content	Story element

“Whether there is a God or not, his existence doesn't depend on what you believe or what I say. There is much to be skeptical of in this world, so it no longer surprises me to learn how many people don't really believe in anything. But I believe that our Lord was made flesh as Jesus Christ and died to redeem me. And you. And the Sorrows. Even the White Legs. Everyone.”— Joshua Graham

Christianity is a pre-War religion based on the life and teachings of the eponymous Jesus Christ. The Fallout series has included depictions of several branches of Christianity, including Catholicism, Protestantism, Mormonism, Pentecostalism, and Anabaptist sects like the Amish.

Background

Christianity and its branches have continued to be practiced well into the post-War era on the North American continent. The ruins of churches can be found across the wasteland, while new Christian-derived groups have also been founded after the war, including Saint Monica's Church in Rivet City, and the Abbey of the Road, a Christian monastery said to be somewhere west of the Commonwealth. The settlement of New Canaan was founded by Mormon survivors in the city of Ogden, Utah, with missionaries continuing to travel and spread their faith to other wasteland inhabitants like the tribes residing in and around Zion Canyon well into the 23rd century.

Repurposing of elements of Christianity

• The Children of the Cathedral were a cult that resided in a cathedral in downtown Boneyard. They used many Christian terms, such as Baptism, as euphemisms to obfuscate their FEV experiments and power structure.
• The Followers of the Apocalypse, a humanitarian organization, use a Christian cross as their symbol. Despite that, the group is entirely secular.
• The Church of the Children of Atom heavily borrows from Christianity in its use of language, and the church in Megaton resembles a Christian church. Their leaders are called "confessors," which is a term derived from Christianity, especially denominations such as Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, which refers to any priest who is able to hear confessions and provide absolution for all sins.
  • The Apostles of the Eternal Light lean even harder into the aesthetic, styling their bunker as a "monastery," and affecting a biblical cadence when speaking. Their obsession with holy water is also an appropriated Christian concept.
• The Cult of the Mothman inhabit formerly Christian churches, and build new spaces in their likeness. They can also occasionally be seen wearing pre-war pastor's vestments.
• The Brotherhood of Steel around the time of 2297, have taken many customs of Catholicism and repurposed them for their own rites and rituals, such as the use of censors and the chanting of Latin.

Mentions

Christian characters

• Jack Smith tells the Lone Wanderer that the families in Andale are "perfectly happy good Christian people."
• Father Clifford of Saint Monica's Church is the head of a Catholic derived Church in Rivet City.
• Diego of Saint Monica's Church is said to be Catholic in the Fallout 3 Official Game Guide.
• Marcella is a missionary to Point Lookout who mentions Jesus and recites scripture from memory at length.
• O'Hanrahan, a private in the New California Republic Army, mentions Jesus.
• Joshua Graham is a Mormon from New Canaan who details his faith and other religious beliefs.
• Daniel is a Christian missionary living among the tribes with Joshua Graham, and the Courier can learn about his views on the religion.
• Reverend Delbert Winters was a minister who lent his church in Flatwoods to the Responders after the Great War.
• Caleb Fisher was born and raised among the Amish, which are a group of traditionalist Christian communities. After the Great War, he began to lose his faith, as many church leaders saw their survival as a vindication of their beliefs. Not wanting to be associated with such a mindset, Fisher used his Rumspringa, an Amish coming-of-age process, to leave the church.
• Dontrelle Haines, whose younger brother has died and is himself dying of cancer, is a Christian and says that "the good book" has brought him comfort in recent years amid hard times.
• Ava Rose is a Christian woman who mentions the Holy Spirit.
• Father Donald is a Christian priest from Cold Water.
• The evangelist brain is one of eight brains that are wired to the Calculator, and mentions Jesus.

The Bible

Main article: Mentions of the Bible

Other

• The name of Jesus Christ is often used as an exclamation of shock or gratitude:
  • Scavengers will mention Jesus while expressing shock at the destruction of Megaton.
  • Three Dog will mention Jesus four times throughout his broadcasts: twice upon completing The Waters of Life, once should the player reach the Good Karma level 18 "Wasteland Savior" and once should the player reach the Evil Karma level 11 "Capitol Crimelord."
  • In the random encounter Two Faces, One Synth, the human Art will mutter "Christ" after he kills the synth Art.
  • Judith Blackwell reacted to the Great War by writing a terminal entry titled "Judgement Day," in which she remarked simply: "Jesus fucking Christ."
  • Ella Ames uses Jesus in this fashion on two occasions in her terminal entries.
• Modoc has a small church, which is used for the player's marriage to Miria or Davin. The sanctuary contains wall crosses, a functioning screen, and a baptistry. The post-War construction of Modoc implies that the church was constructed for religious use by the residents. Jo, the mayor and sheriff of the town, officiates the wedding.
• The Abbey of the Road is a faction located somewhere west of the Commonwealth that is dedicated to the spread of Christianity and the collection and preservation of Christian relics across the wasteland.
• Dennis Crocker ends his letter to the Courier asking to meet with them by saying "God bless the New California Republic," invoking the common phrase "God bless America."
• New Canaan was founded by Mormon survivors of the Great War, and still seek to spread their version of the faith across Utah.
• Various pre-War churches can be seen throughout the series.
• Hopesmarch Pentecostal Church refers to Pentecostalism, a Protestant Christian movement.
• Saint Monica's Church is a post-war Catholic church which reveres a post-War saint.
• The East Boston Preparatory School was founded by the Catholic Church as a religious academy, but was eventually repurposed by activists long before the Great War to be a secular school for East Boston's immigrants.
• First Friends Church, an unmarked location in Charleston, is a pre-War Quaker church known in-world for its fusion core powered bells.

Behind the scenes

• Golgotha, the local graveyard of New Reno, is named after the site of Jesus' crucifixion. The location also has a crossroads that forms a cross.
• Joshua Sawyer stated that the New Canaanites use the King James Version of the Bible.
• In Fallout 4, all of Brother Thomas' potential name variations are shared with members of Jesus Christ's apostles in the New Testament, including Thomas, Andrew, Matthew, James (either James the Great or James, son of Alphaeus) and Simon (either Simon the Zealot or Simon, later known as Peter). Although these are common English names, the Pillars of the Community's status as a religious organization further establishes a connection.

Gallery

Karma icons from Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, featuring Christian iconography

Vault Boy as Jesus from the Messiah achievement

Lifegiver perk icon depicting Jesus

Jesus as depicted in Follow Your Nos!

Gomorrah

Yangtze Memorial, featuring a Christian cross

References

Non-game

Non-canon