What About the Other Jesus(es)?
While I was doing research for a project at school on YouTube, a video was suggested to me that I had actually seen before. The video, which was created by the media company Vice was called, "Siberian Cult Leader Thinks He's Jesus." Basically, the video is about how a person from Vice, Rocco Castoro, traveled to Russia and alongside many followers and curious onlookers, he join a pilgrimage on one this group's most holy days to meet a man who claims to be Jesus.
The man above's name is Vissarion or The Teacher. Vissarion says that he is the same Jesus of the Bible, and that he is the Word of God. Rocco Castoro also says in the video that there was no doubt in his mind based on what he was experiencing that his followers think he is God. I personally think that he looks like many of the "White Jesus" depictions that we have seen throughout history like the one below. What is important to note for this blog is that whether it be his appearance, his following, him claiming the name Jesus or even having others call him Jesus, Vissarion portrays an image of Jesus to people and it is important to discuss what that means for the world today especially since this video of him on YouTube has over 13 million views.
Here is some more information about Vissarion. He has over 5,000 followers all over the world. He claims that his words are God's words and he has written what has been called The Last Testament, which is described as an add-on to the Bible after the New Testament. One thing that is important to note is that many of the teachings of this book are not the same as the teachings of the Bible.
The interesting thing about this man is that he has perceived similarities to the Jesus of Christianity which have been noted above, and then he has differences. He claims the same name of Jesus, he claims to be the same person, and to some people who are used to the "White Jesus" image, some people would even say that he looks like Jesus. Yet, Christians would say that he is not the Jesus of the Bible, that his teachings are different, his book is different and that he is in fact blasphemous for claiming to be Jesus Christ.
As a Christian myself, I will say that I do not believe that this man is Jesus based on strong Biblical convictions. However, this blog is less about debating the legitimacy of Vissarion's claims, and more about how the world sees him as an "image of Jesus." Based on the video, the people who follow him, actually seemed to be so kind, peaceful and apparently benefiting from his teachings. One of Vissarion's followers said that he answers all of their problems. The reality is, there is a great amount of positivity around this man and his following. In some ways this can be good and bad. It can be good in the sense that at least a man claiming to be Jesus for the most part is a very positive person. Maybe some people would associate positive things to the Jesus of the Bible because of this. However, in some ways this leads to the negative aspect of this. Since Vissarion claims to be the actual Jesus of the Bible, everything that he says and does is also automatically linked to the Jesus of Christianity. He becomes the mouth of God when he is not God. If people believe him or are even curious, he can portray Jesus as anything he wants and people can get the wrong idea.
Based on an article written by National Geographic, Vissarion is not the only man to claim that he is Jesus in today's time. There are many people today who claim to be Jesus. For some this could be frustrating, for others it could be confusing and still for others it could be amusing. I actually believe that for someone who is curious about Christianity or a non-believer, many people claiming to be Jesus could make the Jesus of the Bible lose his significance in those people's eyes. One other negative aspect of all of this that could be seen in the video is that, having a man claim to be Jesus with no proof is completely fine in a post-modern world. In fact, in the video, one of Vissarion's followers said that they saw nothing wrong with praying to someone if that is what is good for them. People can follow something like this today, because they do not need proof, they just need to feel good. In John 14:6 Jesus says, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Not only is Jesus the only way, but Jesus is a beacon of truth in this world of ambiguity. This is the Jesus that needs to be portrayed.
People seem to have this fascination of Jesus. In some ways this can speak to the overall popularity that the Son of God has in our world still today. What do you think? Why are people claiming to be Jesus? Is Vissarion a positive or negative image of Jesus? Why or why not?
The man above's name is Vissarion or The Teacher. Vissarion says that he is the same Jesus of the Bible, and that he is the Word of God. Rocco Castoro also says in the video that there was no doubt in his mind based on what he was experiencing that his followers think he is God. I personally think that he looks like many of the "White Jesus" depictions that we have seen throughout history like the one below. What is important to note for this blog is that whether it be his appearance, his following, him claiming the name Jesus or even having others call him Jesus, Vissarion portrays an image of Jesus to people and it is important to discuss what that means for the world today especially since this video of him on YouTube has over 13 million views.
Here is some more information about Vissarion. He has over 5,000 followers all over the world. He claims that his words are God's words and he has written what has been called The Last Testament, which is described as an add-on to the Bible after the New Testament. One thing that is important to note is that many of the teachings of this book are not the same as the teachings of the Bible.
The interesting thing about this man is that he has perceived similarities to the Jesus of Christianity which have been noted above, and then he has differences. He claims the same name of Jesus, he claims to be the same person, and to some people who are used to the "White Jesus" image, some people would even say that he looks like Jesus. Yet, Christians would say that he is not the Jesus of the Bible, that his teachings are different, his book is different and that he is in fact blasphemous for claiming to be Jesus Christ.
As a Christian myself, I will say that I do not believe that this man is Jesus based on strong Biblical convictions. However, this blog is less about debating the legitimacy of Vissarion's claims, and more about how the world sees him as an "image of Jesus." Based on the video, the people who follow him, actually seemed to be so kind, peaceful and apparently benefiting from his teachings. One of Vissarion's followers said that he answers all of their problems. The reality is, there is a great amount of positivity around this man and his following. In some ways this can be good and bad. It can be good in the sense that at least a man claiming to be Jesus for the most part is a very positive person. Maybe some people would associate positive things to the Jesus of the Bible because of this. However, in some ways this leads to the negative aspect of this. Since Vissarion claims to be the actual Jesus of the Bible, everything that he says and does is also automatically linked to the Jesus of Christianity. He becomes the mouth of God when he is not God. If people believe him or are even curious, he can portray Jesus as anything he wants and people can get the wrong idea.
Based on an article written by National Geographic, Vissarion is not the only man to claim that he is Jesus in today's time. There are many people today who claim to be Jesus. For some this could be frustrating, for others it could be confusing and still for others it could be amusing. I actually believe that for someone who is curious about Christianity or a non-believer, many people claiming to be Jesus could make the Jesus of the Bible lose his significance in those people's eyes. One other negative aspect of all of this that could be seen in the video is that, having a man claim to be Jesus with no proof is completely fine in a post-modern world. In fact, in the video, one of Vissarion's followers said that they saw nothing wrong with praying to someone if that is what is good for them. People can follow something like this today, because they do not need proof, they just need to feel good. In John 14:6 Jesus says, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Not only is Jesus the only way, but Jesus is a beacon of truth in this world of ambiguity. This is the Jesus that needs to be portrayed.
People seem to have this fascination of Jesus. In some ways this can speak to the overall popularity that the Son of God has in our world still today. What do you think? Why are people claiming to be Jesus? Is Vissarion a positive or negative image of Jesus? Why or why not?
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