Fakeness vs. Authenticity in Religion

David Chidester wrote in his book Authentic Fakes, “even fake religions can be doing a kind of symbolic, cultural, and religious work that is real,” (Introduction, 9). This quote captures the central theme of our discussions this week, fakeness versus authenticity. In the film Kumaré, Vikram Gandhi literally makes a fake religion, yet he obtains a following so strong that he changes peoples’ lives. But what really is it about Kumaré that people got so attached to? First of all, there are physical aspects of Kumaré that made him seem authentic (as seen in the photo below), such as his hair, clothes, beard, and even his props (necklace and walking stick). He even created fake chants and yoga moves. However, what made his “religion” real weren’t the physical aspects, but the beliefs he taught. His teachings include that all people have a guru and happiness inside. Kumaré was able to help his followers with real problems, such as marriage issues, weight loss troubles, and even career problems. The help that he provided these people was completely authentic even though the physical aspects of the religion were fake. It is obvious after this week that fakeness and authenticity come hand in hand. There are fake aspects of every religion. Christianity is as real as a religion can get, however, aspects like Santa Claus and Christmas trees are unauthentic. Even though Christmas is related to these fake aspects, the meaning of Christmas is completely real. Kumaré, as well as Christmas both prove that you cannot have authenticity without fakeness in a religion and vice versa.