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.