Authenticity is integrity with the element of time irrationally and wickedly stripped off.  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.