The Sins of Authenticity
(Dusting off the Archives)
Authenticity is integrity with the element of time irrationally and wickedly stripped off. It is trying to be true to yourself right now, without regard to being true to who you were and especially to who you will be. The honest seed sprouts and flowers. The authentic seed falls on stony ground and stays a seed, then a withered caricature of a seed, then a husk. Authenticity is death.
In Mormon terms, where damnation means the cessation of progress, authenticity is damnation.
Authenticity is one of characteristic modern vices. It is purpose-engineered as a specific against repentance. Repentance being always and everywhere the great weapon of the righteous and the principle reason why the meek shall inherit the earth. But repentance is even more important now than ever. the current verson of the Satanic engine–and it is well-designed, give the devil his due–works like this: we live in a hyper-palatable world where we are exposed to addictive temptations of all kinds: porn, food, social media, entertainment, outrage, cheap tribalism, virtue signalling, and etc. In such an environment, it is extremely easily to frequently and variedly fall into sin. The only cure is repentance. Repentance is not only the cure, it also takes these artificial and shallow experiences and turns them into something deep and rich. From the perspective of Hell, this is a deeply troubling outcome. So authenticity counsels people not to repent.
Elder Cook of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles spoke about authenticity last weekend in General Conference.
In today’s world, there is an increased emphasis on pride, self-aggrandizement, and so-called “authenticity,” which sometimes leads to a lack of true humility. . . .
Some misuse authenticity as a celebration of the natural man and qualities that are the opposite of humility, kindness, mercy, forgiveness, and civility. We can celebrate our individual uniqueness as children of God without using authenticity as an excuse for un-Christlike behavior.
More on Authenticity
There is a lot more of this at the Cult of Authenticity tag. Particularly worth your time are No Hypocrites, No Heroes, No Humble Worship; Another Essay that isn’t the Best Essay You’ll Read All Month; and The Virtue with No Name, or the Best Mormon Essay You’ll Read This Month. As is usual for the JG, don’t miss the comments.
Oh, and also the Contradiction of Celebrity.
Today’s Commentary
This is as much about the true shape of a human being through time as it is about authenticity.
We see ourselves as 3-dimensional objects when we are actually 4-dimensional objects.
The current 3-dimensional object you think of as yourself is actually a slice in one moment of time of your actual 4-dimensional body.
Now we only perceive one slice of ourselves. We see only the present. Our only access to the past is memory, and our only access to the future is imagination, hope, revelation, and faith. But one day we will have “all things before our face”–we will see and experience and be the whole of ourselves at once.
Filed under: Deseret Review | Tags: cult of authenticity, General Conference, LDS
Bookslinger
October 4, 2017
I caught that too. My ears perked up, and I wondered if the Brethren have been reading the JrG.
G.
October 4, 2017
Heaven forfend
John Mansfield
October 4, 2017
Joseph Smith: “As Paul said he had to become all things to all men, that he might thereby save some, so must the elders of the last days do; and, being sent out to preach the Gospel and warn the world of the judgments to come, we are sure, when they teach as directed by the Spirit, according to the revelations of Jesus Christ, that they will preach the truth and prosper without complaint.”
Or in the form of a pop song:
When you’re out of luck
I’ll be what you’re looking for
Even if it’s not who I am
I can change, I can change for you
I can bend, I can break
I can shift, I can shape
http://www.nme.com/news/brandon-flowers/85084
G.
October 5, 2017
I can change for You.
JRL in AZ
October 5, 2017
I immediately thought that Elder Cook has been reading here when he spoke about authenticity. He has quoted Middle-Aged Mormon Man before, so we know that he reads blogs.
But I love this whole discussion about authenticity. It really is about agency. You choose what you will be – you can’t just cop out and say that one part of your multi-faceted nature is “the real you” and you have to be true to it. You get to choose which part of your nature you act on and nourish.
G.
October 5, 2017
If he reads blogs, he reads the sort of blogs that respectable people share on Facebook. Which, my chickabiddies, is not us.
Good thought to bring up agency. What I am most fundamentally, and therefore most authentically, is a creative agent.
bobdaduck
October 5, 2017
“If he reads blogs, he reads the sort of blogs that respectable people share on Facebook. Which, my chickabiddies, is not us.”
I’ve been drive-by slandered!
seriouslypleasedropit
October 5, 2017
Re: GA’s reading here: I certainly hope not.
Since it has been established that I can really only communicate in youtube clips from epic movies of 15 years ago, this quote from Last Samurai seems appropriate (no, since you ask, I couldn’t find a clip):
“Katsumoto:You are emperor, my Lord, not me. You must find the wisdom for all of us.”
John Mansfield
October 6, 2017
One of the more terrifying things Jesus taught, which I believe:
John 12:24-25
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
It’s a powerful image. A seed that sprouts no longer recognizably exists.
Bookslinger
October 6, 2017
Conference talks of the past few years lead me to believe the current Brethren are keeping a closer eye on the rank and file than previously.
As has been reported in blogs (including this one, I think), there is actually a church department that has been going around interviewing local members at the ward level, not waiting for things to filter up through the levels of leadership.
One of the ways to know what’s going on at the grass roots is to follow media/social media. Like corporate execs do, I would suppose that the Brethren have lower level people do the detail reading and act as a clipping service and pass things up. And this is how/why it looks like the Brethren are responding to LDS social media trends in Conf talks.
What clinched it for me was a few conferences ago, Elder Christofferson derided LDS intellectuals who use the word exegesis. Derided is too nice a word. That was an obvious smackdown on certain parts of the bloggernacle.
Elder Holland’s fiery defense of the Book of Mormon’s events being real, using the word “historicity” in his conference talk is further evidence.
Zen
October 8, 2017
“If he reads blogs, he reads the sort of blogs that respectable people share on Facebook. Which, my chickabiddies, is not us.” – G
I have to say, I am not in complete agreement.
What comes to mind, was a certain minister who acted very sanctimonious when he met Joseph Smith. Joseph acknowledged that he was a prophet of the Lord, and asked if the man would like to wrestle.
We don’t look or act as ‘respectable’ as certain other (most other?) blogs, but I think we have one of the finest LDS blogs out there, if we don’t have 1% of their traffic. I don’t think traffic, or serious looking articles are the best metrics.
With apologies to Vader, the line that comes to mind is, “She may not look like much, but she’s got it where it counts, kid.”
Bookslinger
August 23, 2021
It’s comforting to observe that, at least on occasion, our little band appears to be inspired by the same Source as the apostles are.