Jesus and Satoshi
Exploring similarities between Christianity and Bitcoin.
Many articles and books have explored the overlaps, symmetries, and impacts of Bitcoin on religion, particularly Christianity. This piece takes a different approach. I aim to examine parallels between the Bitcoin movement as we know it today and the rise of Christianity roughly 2,000 years ago. What can we learn from comparing these movements?
I write from a historical, economic, and anthropological perspective, not a religious one. Each section of this article will highlight a parallel narrative or similarity between the rise of Bitcoin and the rise of Christianity.
Jesus and Satoshi
The similarities are striking. A figure emerges from obscurity, presenting a vision so transformative that it reshapes how people view the world. Jesus claimed that there is only one god, not thousands, and Satoshi created a single monetary unit to replace hundreds of weak fiat currencies we know today. Both of them vanished, leaving a small group of followers to carry their message forward.
Disappearance of the Leader: The absence of a central leader is likely essential for both Christianity and Bitcoin to thrive. An active leader could be targeted, punished, or imprisoned by authorities, intimidating followers into submission. Eliminating this single point of failure is critical for the success of such movements. The messages of both Jesus and Satoshi are so powerful that they stand on their own, as we’ll explore further.
Predecessors: Jesus had John the Baptist, a teacher who laid the groundwork for much of his philosophy. Similarly, Satoshi built the Bitcoin protocol on the work of predecessors, notably Hashcash (Adam Back), b-money (Wei Dai), and Bit Gold (Nick Szabo).
A System Ripe for Overthrow: At the time of Jesus, religious practices had grown stale and exploitative. Roman deities were co-opted for state benefit, and Jewish religious leaders manipulated faith for personal gain. By 2009, the global financial system was similarly corrupt, with fiat money printed on an unprecedented scale to enrich elites.
Followers: Jesus had his disciples, a small, dedicated group who spread his teachings and educated others. This circle grew, attracting figures like Paul the Apostle, who, despite never meeting Jesus and initially opposing Christianity, became one of its greatest advocates. In the Bitcoin world, figures like Saifedean Ammous or Lyn Alden could be likened to Paul.
New devotees joined Christianity in waves, with the message adapted to resonate with diverse groups. Paul wrote letters to communities worldwide, explaining Christianity in language and parables they could understand. Similarly, Bitcoin-related content is tailored to attract people with varying backgrounds and financial literacy, with each wave of newcomers larger than the last.
Early Divisions Within the Movement: The lack of central leadership has advantages but also creates challenges. After Jesus’ departure, his followers faced decisions about the movement’s future. Differing interpretations of his words and intentions led to divisions within Christianity. For example, Jesus’ brother, James, was killed — thrown off a temple wall — for disagreeing with others about the faith. Similarly, Bitcoin’s community has faced internal conflicts. Hard forks, particularly during the Blocksize War, and the ongoing Bitcoin Core debates are prime examples.
Early Problems: The absence of central authority allows pretenders, scammers, and opportunists to exploit the movement’s message for personal gain. Without a governing body to vet “good actors,” anyone can claim to represent the movement’s values, making it hard to verify their authenticity.
Christianity has long grappled with pretenders. The Roman Catholic Church attempted to address this by asserting sole authority, but it later lost trust by selling indulgences, effectively allowing sin in exchange for payment.
Bitcoin’s message has been co-opted by “shitcoiners” and scammers who exploit ignorance, much like replacing the promise of “heaven” with the buzzword “utility.”
Fortunately, in both cases, the original message remains a touchstone. The Gospels, the Bitcoin Whitepaper, Satoshi’s writings, and Bitcoin’s code provide a foundation to evaluate claims and counter distortions.
Rejection by Closest Peers: Jesus claimed to be the King of the Jews, as prophesied in Jewish scripture, yet the broader Jewish community rejected him and his message, ultimately crucifying him.
Similarly, within the sound money community, particularly among gold and silver advocates like Peter Schiff, Bitcoin faces rejection and active opposition. In both cases, the solution to the community’s challenges was radically different from what they expected, and they could not — or cannot — accept an answer that falls outside their established framework.
Ultimately, a movement like Christianity or Bitcoin is open to everyone. Regardless of who you are or what your intentions may be, you can engage with the message or protocol — or choose not to. You can adopt any part of it for whatever purpose you envision, or you can embrace it fully as a true believer, however you define that.
In the author’s view, the success of Christianity stems from the fact that, over time, those who adopted its message experienced better life outcomes than those who did not. Living honestly, refraining from theft or murder, practicing selflessness, and taking responsibility for one’s misfortunes — these principles and more provide a clear, adoptable framework for a happy and successful life. Others observe this and seek the same, fueling the movement’s growth.
Similarly, those who adopt Bitcoin as a form of money tend to achieve greater financial success than those who do not. Over time, stragglers will become irrelevant, losing their influence, and other currencies will fade, much like thousands of religions and gods vanished in the wake of Christianity’s rise.
Epitaph: An intriguing observation can be made with the rise of Islam. Emerging some 600 years after Christianity, Islam shared many of the same principles but introduced a few radical changes, rapidly growing from obscurity to challenge Christianity as the dominant religion of the known world. Could this suggest how a future challenger to Bitcoin might emerge? Not replacing Bitcoin, but appealing to many and ultimately co-existing alongside it?
