By John M. Grondelski, The Catholic Thing - “Authenticity” has been the big thing, on and off, for decades. Being “authentic” meant being non-conforming, “true to yourself” – which usually translated to indulging your base instincts absent reasoning about them. Christian cultures and “society” were the arch-enemies of “authenticity.” We were all Rousseaueans now, standing up as individuals, defining our “own concept of existence, of meaning, [and] the universe.” (Justice Kennedy, in Casey) Which mostly meant: sexually.