An Australian man is stirring up waves in the country by claiming to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ, and has even said that he has vivid memories of the crucifixion.
"When you are one with God you are not in a state of fear, and you have quite good control over your body's sensations and the level of pain that you absorb from your body," said Alan John Miller, a 50-year-old ex-software professional from Queensland, according to Sky News.
The man not only claims to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ but says that his partner, Mary Luck, is the reincarnation of Saint Mary Magdalene, who, according to the Bible, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was the first person to see him after his resurrection.
"I have very clear memories of the crucifixion, but it wasn't as harrowing for me as it was for others like Mary who was present," Miller explained.
The Australian said that his memories of his supposed life as Jesus include performing miracles, such as resurrecting people from the dead – "including a friend of mine Lazarus, who most people know is mentioned in the Bible," he said.
Miller has set up a website called Divine Truth where he tries to convince people that he is indeed the Jesus of the Bible.
"Just a little over 2,000 years ago, we arrived on the earth for the first time. My name then was Yeshua ben Yosef, or the Jesus of the Bible, the son of Joseph and Mary. Mary's name then was Mary of Magdala, the woman identified in the Bible as Mary Magdalene. Mary was my wife then, and the first person I appeared to after I was crucified," he claims on the website, saying that he began "remembering" the details of his life on earth as Jesus after going through a divorce in 1997.
Miller goes on to explain that from the 1st until the 20th century, he has "led from the heavens" in a mission to discover more spiritual truth, which was "fueled by my personal desire and passion to become ever closer to God."
The ex-software professional conducts seminars intended to helping people develop a personal relationship with God, and distributes DVDs and literature that seek to spread his message on a global basis.
"There were lots of people in the first century who didn't believe I was the Messiah and were offended by what I said – and in fact I died at the hands of some of them," Miller told Sky News.
It is not clear how many followers Miller currently has but some, such as the Rev. Dr. David Millikan, a Uniting Church Theologian who has worked in the area of cult investigation in the past 30 years, said that such a movement could have a very negative social effect for its followers.
"The danger is you'll be drawn closer and closer into his web to a point that you lose access to your social life, you spend all your money, you'll have the curses of all your family ringing in your ears and you may well lose your relationship," Millikan observed.
Miller has a Youtube channel where he has answered more than 40 video questions about divine truth.