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.

Fake Religions and Authentic Results

            Throughout Kumare and the episode of Seinfeld regarding Festivus, the question of whether or not a fake religion or tradition can yield authentic results is continuously explored. Even though the initial emergences of the Kumare teachings and Festivus is done out of jest, both manage to take on their own meanings that seem authentically religious. In Kumare, despite the teachings being fake, people really buy into the philosophies and gain some tangible benefits that an authentic religion would provide. Within the show of Seinfeld, Festivus does take on the form of a religious holiday, as there are set traditions (aluminum pole, airing of grievances, feats of strength) that have to be followed every year. These all seem fake though. What comes out of Festivus that seems authentic is the following it attains outside of the Seinfeld universe. It has amassed a real following of people that believe in Festivus and the message it sends. Atheists often rally around it as a counter-culture to religious holidays, and others view it as a symbol against the commercialism of holidays. Even though the birth of Festivus is fake, the results seem authentic because it brings people together who have a certain set of beliefs. As David Chidester puts it, both the Kumare teachings and Festivus are examples of, “…authentic fakes, doing real religious work in forging a community, focusing desire, and facilitating exchange in ways that look just like religion” (Preface, viii). Is it even fair to label somethings as a "fake" if it is causing authentic results?