Christianity

Christianity
A fleur-de-lis cross found in the Boneyard Library has served as the symbol of the Followers of the Apocalypse.
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 Jesus Christ, practiced both before and after the Great War. There exist several branches of Christianity, including Catholicism, Protestantism, Mormonism, Pentecostalism, and Anabaptist sects like the Amish.

Background

Christianity is still practiced across the former post-War United States. The ruins of churches can be found across the wasteland, while new Christian groups found after the war include Saint Monica's Church in Rivet City, who revere Saint Monica, and the Abbey of the Road, a Christian monastery somewhere west of the Commonwealth. Mormonism is still practiced by the New Canaanites in Utah and other areas in the Mojave Desert region.

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."
• 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.
• 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."
• 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.
• 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

Not to be confused with Fallout Bible.

The Holy Bible, "Vault-Tec Edition"

The Bible, the main text of Christianity, is mentioned or quoted on several occasions.

• Merk in Shady Sands quotes Job 28:18 by saying "the price of wisdom is above rubies."
• A grave in Golgotha contains the text "The children of Israel wanted bread and the Lord sent them manna," which is a direct quote of Exodus 16:31-34.
• John Cassidy makes a reference to the "good book" and mentions that he did not know that the Garden of Eden came in a kit.
• Catherine, the mother of the Lone Wanderer, had a favorite Bible verse, Revelation 21:6. James has it framed and will share its backstory.
• Confessor Cromwell of the Church of the Children of Atom starts his preaching with "Behold! He is coming with the clouds!" This is a direct quote of Revelation 1:7 that the Children of Atom appear to have repurposed for their messaging.
• Jack Smith quotes Matthew 7:1, "Judge not, lest ye be judged."
• The unmarked quest 300 Pieces of Silver is a reference to Judas Iscariot betraying Jesus Christ for thirty pieces of silver.
• Marcella can recite several passages from the bible to the Lone Wanderer when asked.
  • Marcella herself invokes several Bible verses in dialogue, including 1 Corinthians 15:52, John 1:4-5, and John 16:33.
  • John 8:12 is written in Marcella's journal, reading, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me, walketh not in darkness, but shall have the light of life, John 8:12."
  • The Lone Wanderer can ask her about Revelation 21:6, which she will be enthused about.
• The quest Render Unto Caesar quotes Matthew 22:21 where Jesus instructs his followers to "render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's."
• Revelation 9:6 is mentioned on the signage of the Searchlight west church.
• The name of the New Vegas Strip casino Gomorrah is a reference to the biblical city. An employee of the casino, Cachino, mentions two characters from the city's biblical story in dialogue.
• Arcade Gannon quotes the Bible in certain conversations.
  • During The White Wash, he can paraphrase part of Genesis 22:7, where Isaac asks Abraham "where is the lamb," in reference to the Courier's action of executing Tom Anderson to not link his actions to the Westside locals.
  • When asked about his work with the Followers of the Apocalypse, Arcade can quote Ecclesiastes 1:9, both in Latin and in English.
• Joshua Graham references several biblical parables, themes, and rites of passage when speaking with the Courier, including that of the prodigal son, forgiveness, and baptism.
  • When commenting on his counterpart missionary Daniel, Graham mentions four of the Twelve Apostles, as well as the prophet Moses and another biblical figure, Cain.
  • Graham quotes the Bible directly several times in dialogue, most prominently Psalm 137.
  • Graham's unique weapon is named A Light Shining in Darkness, which is a reference to John 1:5. It has the verse inscribed in Greek on the sides of the gun, reading "καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει" on the right side and "καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν" on the left, which translates to "and the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."
• Scripture, a Bible, can be acquired as an in-game item.
• Blind Diode Jefferson mentions the biblical city of Jericho, specifically the Battle of Jericho in which the Israelites used horns to bring down the walls of Jericho.
• If the Courier is aligned with Mr. House, Ulysses will compare the Courier to Judas' betrayal of Jesus for "twenty-nine less coins."
• Pastor Clements is Diamond City's serving priest at the All Faiths Chapel. He makes a reference to the parable of the Good Samaritan.
• The male Sole Survivor can mention the statue of David, a sculpture depicting the Biblical figure David, when talking to Myrna.
• Jesus Sunday quotes John 3:15, "Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life present in him" in his dying moments, shortly after having murdered his brother.
• Dontrelle Haines may quote 1 Timothy 6:7 from the Bible, stating "for we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it."
• Wizard's Fortune #15 paraphrases Matthew 5:5 as "Blessed are the children for they will inherit a scorched earth."
• William, a fictional character in the A Better Life Underground radio play, calls another character, Ben, a "Judas" for plotting his death, referencing Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus Christ.
• The description of the Roadsign Warrior player icon, featured in season 18, Milepost Zero: Country Road, is a reference to and reversal of the phrase "sign(s) of the times," which has its origins in the Bible verse Matthew 16:2b–3.
• In the episode "The Head," during a conversation with the Ghoul, Lucy MacLean insists upon abiding by the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have done unto you." This phrasing of the Golden Rule is derived from Matthew 7:12 of the Bible. The Ghoul responds by saying that the wasteland has its own Golden Rule: "Thou shalt get sidetracked by bullshit every Goddamn time."
• In the Vault Seller's Survival Guide episode "Follow Your No's!," Bud Askins cites the example of Lot's wife from the Holy Bible, "Vault-Tec Edition," as an example of how to convert a customer who refuses to leave behind the Old World.

“When Lot's wife turned to look back, she became a pillar of salt. You don't wanna end up like Lot's wife, do you?”— Bud Askins

• Attis quotes a modified Revelation 13:7, saying, "And it was given unto the beast to make war with the saints, to overcome them... and power was given him over all kindreds and tongues and nations." In the Bible, "the beast" is replaced by "him" instead.
• The Vault Dweller mentions Cain is named after the first murderer.

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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

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.

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

Revelation 21:6 framed

Ending slide with Revelation 21:6

Revelation 9:6 in Searchlight

Revelation 9:6 in Searchlight

Gomorrah

Yangtze Memorial, featuring a Christian cross

Joshua Graham in the Sorrows camp

A closer look

A Light Shining in Darkness

Scripture

References

Non-game

Non-canon