History Main / CrystalDragonJesus

* The cult of Daniel Christ (yes, the Old Testament Daniel) in Creator/AvramDavidson's ''The Phoenix and the Mirror''.

* ''Series/LegendOfTheSeeker'': The Creator's portrayed as far more similar to {{God}} here, even coming [[GodInHumanForm in human form]] (at least, [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane so it seems]]), somewhat like Jesus. Unlike in the books as well, the Creator's [[DivineRaceLift portrayed as female]] (human avatar too), unlike God is traditionally. She's believed to be far more benevolent as well, with the Keeper her [[AntiGod evil counterpart]], who created death along with all bad things in jealousy after she lavished affection on humankind (who were originally immortal), though this dualism also departs from Christian belief. The Sisters of the Light, who worship the Creator, also say suicide is an offense to her (which also accords with traditional Christian belief).

** The Vulcans, meanwhile, could be said to have Surak, the founder of their philosophy of logic, though they don't attribute any divine attributes to him. He's more of a Crystal Dragon Confucius.

*** Similarly, some quarters of the Guardians of the Veil (the Pentacle's {{masquerade}} maintainers and secret policemen) have their own Crystal Dragon Jesus: the Hieromagus, the one mage who will prove immune to [[WeirdnessCensor Paradox]] and lead Awakened society to enlightenment. Until he comes, they'll keep [[PoisonousFriend performing all the necessary sins to keep Awakened society functioning]], out of the belief that he will absolve them at the reckoning. Needless to say, this belief doesn't get outside the Guardians, because it would make them look ''even more frightening'' (and not in a good way) to the rest of the Pentacle Mages.

* The main religion in the ''Literature/BookOfTheNewSun'' by Creator/GeneWolfe has many overtones of this. The Pancreator is God, the Conciliator is Jesus, the Increate is the Holy Spirit, and the New Sun is the Second Coming. A relic of the Conciliator has the power to heal the wounded and even revive the dead while angels and saints are often referenced. [[spoiler: In this case, the entire affair was deliberately engineered. The was the main character Severian who managed to acquire the relic and the resulting powers, then became the one who inspired the religion in the first place, ''then'' brought about the New Sun. All of that was possible thanks to time-travel and other such interventions courtesy of [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens Heirogrammates]].]]

* The main religion in the ''Literature/BookOfTheNewSun'' by Creator/GeneWolfe has many overtones of this. The Pancreator is God, the Conciliator is Jesus, and the New Sun is the Second Coming. A relic of the Conciliator has the power to heal the wounded and even revive the dead while angels and saints are often referenced. [[spoiler: In this case, the entire affair was deliberately engineered. The was the main character Severian who managed to acquire the relic and the resulting powers, then became the one who inspired the religion in the first place, ''then'' brought about the New Sun. All of that was possible thanks to time-travel and other such interventions courtesy of [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens Heirogrammates]].]]

* Joe, a mysterious Tuskagee pilot, in ''ComicBook/{{Ghostopolis}}''.

* ''Franchise/FullmetalAlchemist'': The sun-worshipping false religion practiced by Father Cornello incorporates many aspects of Roman Catholicism. Later in the [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist 2003 anime]], [[spoiler:Rose]] (who has a young baby) begins wearing a veil and is worshipped as the "Holy Mother", similarly to the Virgin Mary. This is especially noteworthy because, in later episodes of the 2003 anime version, it is revealed [[spoiler:that Christianity itself is a ''dead'' religion; the show implies the timelines of the fictional universe and "our" universe split about a millennium in the past, around the time alchemy was discovered]]. This doesn't apply to [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist the manga]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Thief}}'' has the Hammerites, who worship the "Master Builder", but basically look like medieval Roman Catholicism with SteamPunk trappings and the Heathen-smiting turned UpToEleven. The Hammerites undergo a schism between the first and second games, and naturally regard their offshoot brethren, the Mechanists, as arch-heretics. This is due to the Mechanists' favor of lots of automation (over only a ''little'' bit of automation) and of course, some good ol' fashioned chauvinist outrage (the Mechanists accept female acolytes). Essentially, the Mechanists are more or less a steampunk version of Protestantism; their leader is very similar to Martin Luther or John Calvin, the nobility see them as a way to make themselves richer and throw off the old religious order (much like the German nobles of the Reformation) and the Mechanists themselves are progressive whilst being arch-zealous at the same time, like many Calvinist Sects. They even have their own analogue to {{Satan}}: The Trickster, the pagan god of nature, who is naturally opposed to technology and civilization. [[spoiler: [[PlayerCharacter Garrett]] can attest to the Trickster's existence- he ''killed'' him.]]

** Averted in the ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia''. Aslan literally ''is'' Jesus. WordOfGod (unavoidable pun) is that just as God the Son became incarnate as Jesus in our world, so he became incarnate as Aslan in Narnia. In one book the characters ask Aslan how they can continue to believe in him if he doesn't exist in their own world, but Aslan replies that he does, under a different name. This also means that the "Emperor Beyond the Sea", mentioned being Aslan's father, would be God the Father. Tash, on the other hand, clearly represents {{Satan}}, with Shift as the false prophet and Puzzle the (unwitting) Antichrist. Aslan's Country, of course, would be {{Heaven}} and is further based on {{Creator/Plato}}'s ideas of it being more real than our world (or Narnia, here), which Lewis liked.

** It's also hinted that the Emperor of Mankind was Saint George in the Book "Mechanicum". The Imperium is ''huge'', and as much as they'd like to, the Ecclesiarchy can't maintain any kind of orthodoxy throughout it. Different planets have their own, vastly different, versions of the Imperial cult, which can be variants on this trope. The Cult of the people of Fenris is Crystal Wolf Norse Mythology, with the Emperor as Odin and the resident SpaceMarine base as Valhalla.

* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' games commonly do this, generally draping stories of "past hero" around a Bishop-class character. Usually the head deity/hero of the church will have the title of Saint. They aren't an actual God, just a really cool person. The [[VideoGame/FireEmblemElibe Elibe games]] have Saint Elimine. ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones The Sacred Stones]]'' has the Theocracy of Rausten. Its founder was the only person strong enough to shake off the [[{{Satan}} Demon King's]] MindControl.
** Actually played straight in ''Path of Radiance'' and ''Radiant Dawn'' with the Begnion Empire. It is a theocracy whose structure is almost identical to the Catholic Church, with the Apostle serving as a female Pope of sorts and the nobles of the country akin to the College of Bishops. These individuals are more than just leaders; they are respected members of their religion, as they are believed to be chosen by the Goddess herself. They honor [[spoiler:Ashera, who is the Order component of the goddess Ashunera. Ashunera, the 'Goddess of Dawn', incidentally caused a worldwide flooding that wiped out almost all civilizations of the world after she lost control of her divine powers. The guilt caused Ashunera to split into Ashera (order) and Yune (chaos). Yune is treated as an evil figure and even referred to as a 'dark god'. So we have the 'good' goddess, Ashera, and the 'bad' goddess, Yune. God-Satan, anyone?]]

** Inverted in ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'', where [[spoiler:Glint is murdered by her former boss Kralkatorrik. Unfortunately Glint's {{Plot Armor}} wasn't sufficient enough to warrant a [[DeathIsNotPermanent Resurrection Shrine]].]] Kralkatorrik is just as much a Crystal Dragon as Glint, but whose alignment is the exact opposite of Glints. In effect between the two Games you have a Crystal Dragon Jesus, and a {{Crystal Dragon Satan}} not to mention a {{Crystal Dragon}} {{Eldritch Abomination}}, the latter two both being the same entity.

* The Anju religion mentioned in ''VideoGame/{{Solatorobo}}'' is essentially [[ChristianityIsCatholic Catholicism]] [[RecycledInSpace WITH BIRDS!]] To be able to enter their holy forest where all the birds live when they're not [[{{Psychopomp}} guiding souls to the afterlife]], you need to obtain a string of rosary beads, and lore says they always have a Bible on hand and worship in churches on Sundays.

* ''Fanfic/GoddessRebornChronicle'' has this not in God but in Lucifer and Veritas, the latter of which being a Gnostic figure with strong Buddhist trappings, even called The Jade Bodhisattva.
* ''Fanfic/BaitAndSwitchSTO'' extends the [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Bajoran religion]]'s Catholic imitation to the point of including at least one major schism, implied to be similar to the Protestant Reformation or the split between Orthodox and Reform Judaism. In ''Fanfic/FromBajorToTheBlack'', Kanril Eleya refuses to follow her boyfriend to a church-backed college because they "push the Orthodox branch like it's going out of style", whereas a deceased crew member in "Fanfic/LastRights" is identified as a "secular Foundation Reformist".

* ''Fanfic/ChasingDragons'' has the Faith of the Seven, still a very Christian-like religion, undergo a series of schisms similar to the Protestant Reformation. It starts when Septon Jonothor, the chief septon in the newly-established Kingdom of Myr, decides that he can no longer go along with the Faith's obsession with dogma over ethics; like Martin Luther, he publishes his beliefs on where the Faith should be going, gets excommunicated, and starts his own following, splitting the Faith into mainstream (Baelorite) and reformist (Jonothorian) factions. This inspires several reactionary schisms as well due to the view that the Baelorite leadership isn't doing enough to counter the perceived heresy, as well as the belief that the Faith has been corrupted by pandering to feudal politics -- Septon Ryman starts a Calvinist-like faction that believes salvation and damnation are already predestined, while a Puritan-like group of ultra-conservatives that calls itself "the Old Faith" starts organizing to preach a society free of any authority other than local religious leadership.

** In ''Theatre/TheComedyOfErrors'', the long-lost mother turns up as the abbess of a convent.

* The titular ''Theatre/StarlightExpress'' is essentially God as worshipped by [[ItMakesSenseInContext the anthropomorphic representations of a young boy's model railway.]]

* ''Webcomic/MarbleGateDungeon'' has the Church of the Highfather that is not only coded Christian but ''Irish Catholic Christian'' with its crosses, shamrocks, sheep motifs, and other motifs. It is a SaintlyChurch with the big differences being equality between the sexes and its clergy being allowed to marry. Oh and the fact the clerics can go forth into dungeons to kill monsters.

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'' has the island of Fortuna, where the capital has a congregation called the Order of the Sword that worships Sparda. The architecture has a medieval feel, the {{innocent bystander}}s and RedshirtArmy wear hooded monk-style robes and the leader Sanctus looks very much like a pope. [[spoiler: The Order turns out to be a rather [[CorruptChurch corrupt]] bunch of {{Knight Templar}}s that want to Wipe The Slate Clean with a demonic invasion and the creation of a false Savior so that [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans they can usher in a new Utopia]].]]

There are also a few Crystal Dragon Islam religions. They generally share at least a few of these attributes: militant expansionism, coming from the east, and staunch monotheism.

The name itself is a DeadUnicornTrope as few writers are willing to literally use a Crystal Dragon, but it does get the idea of random in-universe creatures. Furthermore, there's the belief that [[NewAgeRetroHippie new-age]] [[PowerCrystal crystals do everything]] and it's convenient for writers who want to make a [[MessianicArchetype Christ figure]] come across.

* ''[[Roleplay/FireEmblemOnForumsLiberationOfIzzarra Liberation Of Izzarra]]'': Rhea worship boils down to this, with Rheane being likened to the Vatican and the main Rheanite character Bertholt being a GoodShepherd from a priory.

''[[Roleplay/FireEmblemOnForumsLiberationOfIzzarra Liberation Of Izzarra]]'': Rhea worship boils down to this, with Rheane being likened to the Vatican and the main Rheanite character Bertholt being a GoodShepherd from a priory.

* The ''Literature/YoungWizards'' series by Creator/DianeDuane seems to suffer Crystal Dragon Jesus MoodWhiplash. In the beginning, the main deities of the universe seem to be the 'Powers that be', which are essentially SufficientlyAdvanced {{Energy Being}}s, and not intrinsically above most creatures. Later in the series, the One is revealed -- it created all things, has a terrible foe in the Lone Power, has the Powers (several of whom ''are'' archangels) working directly for it, and is the source of all life and good in the universe...

** There ARE beings who are essentially angels (although EnergyBeing angels) and deny being gods, claiming that they serve only "the Light" which may be THE God of Azeroth. These angels (Naaru) can be interacted with and spoken to, but generally do not intervene except in extreme cases, such as Sargeras (Satan Expy) corrupting the entire Eredar race.

** In his loosely associated novels, ''Literature/TheLionsOfAlRassan'', ''Literature/TheSarantineMosaic'', and ''Literature/TheLastLightOfTheSun'', "Jaddites" play the role of Christians in a FantasyCounterpartCulture of medieval Europe, despite the fact that Jad is a [[IncrediblyLamePun sun]] god. It gets even more confusing, though. Belief in the Jaddite Christ figure, named Heladikos, is actually a ''heresy'' of Jaddism, being the rough fantasy counterpart of Arianism. Heladikos's story resembles that of Phaeton, the son of the Greek sun god Helios, who lost control of the chariot of the sun. Jad is more of a conflation of Helios and Jehovah, then, instead of a direct Christian analogue (and maybe some Apollo, too). Off to the side, you also have the Kindath (Jews) who worship the moons, and the Asharites (Muslims) who worship the stars. Everyone thinks everyone else's choice of veneration is insane, for various reasons. And unlike the real world Abrahamic faiths that share some stories, prophets, etc; there doesn't seem to be any common basis between Jaddites, Asharites, and Kindath.

* Wayism in ''Series/{Andromeda}'' is a cross between Taoism, Buddhism and monotheism. Rev Bem repeatedly asserts his belief in The Divine throughout the series, and he and other Wayist brothers and priests, as well as episode opening quotes attributed to Wayists, often speak in phrases reminiscent of the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama and Lao Tsu.

* In the ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' series, the Church of the Holy Light is pretty much a mix between Catholic Christianity (huge cathedrals, monasteries, and zealous crusaders), Buddhism (meditation and the lack of deities), and TheForce (a holy power binding all living beings together; it even comes with a hatred/insanity-based dark-side).