After Its Own Kind
Rising Societal Forces
While reading a book on the Art Nouveau movement, I was struck by an observation the author made: For every growing force in society, there is an equally opposing force rising simultaneously. For art nouveau emerging toward the end of the 19th century, those were the rising forces of the organic, mystic, and spiritual alongside its opposing forces—mechanization, technology, and the science of the day brought on by the industrial revolution.
This begs the question—what are the societal forces we experience today? And what are the opposing forces on the rise?
The age of (mis)Information
Though there are countless forces, one, in particular, seems to be prevalent. We live in a time when the internet is ubiquitous and communication is instant. We live in the age of information most assuredly. The opposing force rising in unison? Misinformation, disinformation (lies), spun stories, and false belief systems.
Notice that small gray line of text below the field input—about 5,170,000,000 results in an instant. Obviously, no one is going to go past page one of Google, but the point is that there is no shortage of information or sources to try to find the truth about anything.
The forums of public discourse are as tumultuous now as they’ve ever been I imagine, yet amplified through digitization and artificial intelligence. At times, I have certainly felt fatigued at the vast amount of information to wade through on any given issue. It truly weighs on my soul and can be paralyzing, or perhaps worse, apathy-inducing. How is it even possible to discern the truth? How can we avoid deception and misinformation in the process?
On top of all that, algorithms are merely an amplification of logic within imperfect human brains that are written to process large amounts of info. So if the logic is untrue from the start, AI and its algorithms really just become echo chambers of whatever is placed in them.
Discerning Truth
So how can we discern the truth?
After its own kind
Heavenly Father knew this would be the nature of man and he outlined from literally the very beginning of time a wonderful nugget of truth about discerning truth.
“In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1)
He designed the grass, the herb, and the fruit tree “whose seed was in itself, after his kind.”
He designed whales and fowls “after their kind” and “after his kind.”
He finally designed mankind, male and female, in His image and likeness (or after His own kind) and gave them the power to produce according to their own kind.
Essentially, an apple tree cannot produce an orange. A rose cannot produce a daffodil. A human cannot produce a dog. Each growing organism was given the power to create the organism that it is.
This same principle has been deciphered in other ways. For example, in business, it was phrased by Simon Sinek like this—
In other words, an unbelieving employee cannot produce a believing customer. Everything produces after its own kind.
In the New Testament, Christ used phrases like “Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit” (Matthew 7:17) or “Wherefore by their fruits, ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20).
He was specifically applying this principle to the discernment between a false and true prophet, however, we clearly see this principle is applicable to any matter needing verification of truth or falsehood.
A farmer would be surprised to reap carrots in a field where he sewed seeds of corn. A student would be surprised to get an A on an exam never studied for. Take any information, data, story, or even thought, and trace it back. All these originate from the thing that preceded it, which is of the same nature, be it right or wrong, good or bad. Think of it as information genealogy.
Behaviors and patterns are reaped from actions sewn. Actions are reaped from thoughts sewn. Thoughts are sewn from what we place inside our mind. Thoughts produce after their own kind. Actions produce after their own kind. Our days are great predictors of how our years take shape. I mean, after all, Joshua of the Old Testament never said, “Choose you this year whom ye will serve.”
There is a common theme throughout scripture that goes back to this notion of things producing “after its own kind.”
Jesus Christ, The Vine
For this reason, Christ called himself The Vine.
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
John 15:1–4
What’s interesting is that there are branches attached to the vine, yet they produce no fruit. I see these as Isaiah put it, “…people [who] draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me…” (Isaiah 29:13)
This sentiment is also expressed in the prophetic passage of 2 Timothy 3 as many “having the form of godliness but denying the power thereof.”
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)
This means that the fruit spoken of represents doing the will of Heavenly Father.
“By their fruits, ye shall know them.” We will know them through how their lives align with the will of the father as shown through the life of Christ.
Christ continued to teach,
If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
And if we abide not?
It’s clear to see that men are ready to gather those who choose not to abide in Christ. There are many modern soothsayers, leaders, brands, influencers, and politicians who vie for and even prey on a believing heart like ravenous wolves. The visual imagery of fire is most fitting, as fire has an insatiable appetite ever wanting more to stay alive. A believing, yet detached, heart is consumed and burned as quickly as the next and seen only for its extrinsic value—fuel for the flame.
“In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation —” (Doctrine & Covenants 89). I believe this word of wisdom applies to far more than what we put in our physical bodies. It is speaking of how we nourish our souls by creating a receptive spirit to truth while avoiding deceptive evils. We have an obligation to find and embrace truth for our own spiritual safety and peace.
The closer we draw to God, the closer we draw to the truth of any matter. All truth originates in Him and there is not anything saves He knows it (2 Nephi 9:20). In His knowledge is found His holiness. We become “after His own kind,” holy, full of light and truth, grace and mercy, “For intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence; wisdom receiveth wisdom; truth embraceth truth; virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto light; mercy hath compassion on mercy and claimeth her own; justice continueth its course and claimeth its own…” (Doctrine & Covenant 88:40)
For every rising force, there is an equally opposing force rising. For all the hopelessness, confusion, and falsehood that our day is certainly riddled with, we also live in a day of unprecedented hope, clarity, and truth because we have the restored gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth with living prophets promising His return soon. And “when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is,” because we will have become after His own kind.
