Fake is not a bad word

Is there authenticity in things that are fake and fake aspects of authenticity?  

Who is to say what is and isn't authentic? 

The question of authenticity is very subjective in my opinion. Vikram Gandhi's documentary film Kumaré explores that these two seemingly polar opposite concepts have a strong interplay that is very present in religion today. In some ways, the guru Kumaré can be perceived as a fake and in many ways he was. But the aspects of authenticity that developed from the fake parts of his journey overpowered any doubt that what he was doing was anything but pure.  There was authenticity in the minds of Kumaré's disciples that ended up creating a reciprocated authenticity for Vikram.  His disciples found support in him and in the other students.  The result of Vikram's experiment showed that "fakeness" can breed authenticity and that the outcome is just as important as the intentions.  

I come from a practicing Christian family. When I'm home, we each go to church at least twice a week.  Yet, when faced with a dilemma, we do not think "What would Jesus do?" Because for us, being a Christian is not about what Jesus did and the fact that he was the Messiah, it is about belonging to a loving community with shared beliefs. Yes, we believe in God, but we go to church solely for the community aspect.  

Does that make us bad Christians? 

Does that make us fake Christians? 

Of course not. 

In his book, Authentic Fakes, David Chidester states that "religious activity is at work in forming community, focusing desire, and facilitating exchange" (5). A church, temple, synagogue, or religious doctrine does not make a religion authentic, and a lack thereof does not make a religion fake.  An authentic religion is made by shared beliefs, faith (not necessarily in some deity or idol), and love. Kumaré created an authentic religion through spreading love with people who believed in what he was teaching about finding a guru within yourself.  His fake intentions do not matter because the outcome was so pure. The same goes for me and my family; the "fakeness" of our intentions does not make the outcome of the love we share and happiness we receive any less authentic. 

Religious Truth

In Kumare, Vikram Ghandi manages to build a relationship with various people by altering his appearance and convincing people that he is a Guru from India. Despite the relationships he manages to form, the foundation for them was built on a lie. The instant trust people had in Kumare exemplify the dangers of blind acceptance. To what extent can a faith in someone or something be dangerous? If Kumare’s followers believed in him so quickly, it is easy to assume that their belief and love for him would only grow with time. Would any of Kumare’s followers searched for the truth? Or would they have continued to be ignorant about Kumare’s identity and teachings? No matter what your beliefs are, I think this film teaches us the importance of questioning. We cannot blindly accept all that we are told. We need to constantly question in search of truth. This truth may range for different people, such as Tish who walked out of relevation, and Greg who appreciated Kumare’s final message and chose to keep in contact with him. In terms of religion, truth is relative to the individual and their own experience.

The Simpsons Spoofs Religion

http://www.hulu.com/watch/1183

I could not embed the Hulu video but if that link does not work for you here is just the song from the clip:

           This Clip is from the Simpsons in which Homer joins a secret club (called the Stonecutters) that controls the world It turns out that the Homer is believed to be their "messiah" who will lead the Stonecutters to greatness. Eventually, Homer angers the "cult,” and all the Stonecutters quit to form the Ancient Mythic Society of No Homers. This episode is one of the many ways that the Simpsons satirize religion.

The Stonecutters are in many ways a fake group as they do very little other than drinking beer. In this short clip though, one can see some of the ways that Stonecutters acts very similar to organized religion. One way is that they dress in a certain way when attending meetings. Next, they are constantly looking for a “messiah.” They also have a common song that the group knows, just like prayer in organized religion.

The creation of the No Homers Society is very similar to the creation of Festivas in Seinfeld, where a group of people creates something to oppose the previous group they were in. The Costanzas and The Stonecutters except Homer were frustrated with the celebration of the holidays and Homer respectively and decided to create their own group/religion in order to celebrate (or drink beer) in the way they wanted to.