For every pop culture phenomenon, there’s an awful Christian version of the same thing. Know a boy band singing about a beautiful girl? There’s inevitably a less popular version singing about Jesus.

That’s why it’s hardly surprising that Christians have formed their own cryptocurrencies in response to the popularity of Bitcoin, writes Kelly Weill at The Daily Beast.

At least the creators of Jesus Coin admit they’re joking.

“There over 600 cryptocurrencies currently traded,” a Jesus Coin representative told The Daily Beast. “None of them have any intrinsic value. Our point is that if you’re going to trade something with no value whatsoever, at least let’s make it about Jesus. He was a badass, after all.”

I guess how it works is that you invest your money in Jesus Coin. And then, when you lose all of it, you’ll be on your knees begging God for a do-over…

While Jesus Coin is admittedly satirical, there are very real Christian attempts at cryptocurrency.

… Christ Coin says it’s an earnest product. The coin advertises itself as “the first pre-mined Christian-based Cryptocurrency. It is used to financially reward people who read the Bible, post/view content and interact with the community on the Life Change Platform.” … … Christ Coin has sold approximately 200,000 coins at three cents each, netting it around $6,000, a spokesperson said.

We joke about Christians living in a bubble, but the metaphor here is particularly appropriate. This bubble, like the religious one for so many people, will eventually burst. And those who have invested everything on account of their faith will be left with nothing to fall back on when they realize what’s happened.

Dare I say it? They need to be saved.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about these forms of cryptocurrency is that the usual televangelists and grifters aren’t the ones behind them. But give it time and I’m sure Jim Bakker will be selling his own version very soon.

(Image via Shutterstock)

