Fake religions: authentic or inauthentic?

The question on hand in this week's reading out of David Chidester's Authentic Fakes and in the film, Kumaré, is whether or not it the authenticity of a religion matters if its effects are authentic. In my opinion if people latch onto a message in a certain religion, it does not matter the authenticity of the presentation. Vikram Gandhi establishes his credibility as Kumaré by growing out his hair and beard and teaching yoga classes filled with made up moves and rituals. Eventually, people latch on to his message and he meets with them individually. Halfway through the movie, he is doing very little yoga and simply being a friend and advisor to his followers. Although the delivery of his message was phony, the message itself was sincere, and that is what made the largest impact on people. His followers were filled with a new desire to improve their lives and find happiness. In the end, this wildly inauthentic religion turned out to have authentic results.

In many ways, Kumaré’s made up religion is equally as authentic as well established ones. Because he had no history or tradition on which to rely, he gained his followers by being impactful. Often people follow religions because of their family history and traditions, but Kumaré did not have that advantage. His followers came back for him and his message. If we are judging religious authenticity by its positive effects on people, then his religion was certainly authentic.