The Great Counterfeit

My limited education in French makes me believe that the counterfeit has a root in the part -feit, and maybe latin, -feit to do or make, perhaps I am wrong, but that is where my thoughts are taken. Counterfeiting is to do or make fraudulently. Many years ago I read a book called Temples of the Ancient World, it was a collection of papers written by archaeologist, historians and anthropologist documenting ancient temple worship. I only remember a few things from it, but there is one thing that I never will forgot, the adversary to all good will always raise a counterfeit, a fake work, to draw away good people to do bad things. I say bad things, but things that do not make them any better, things that do not progress them towards their ultimate potential. It distracts them, entraps them,  disables them and all too often will destroy them. The goal of the evil one comes in grades, for some distraction is enough, we can stay distracted our whole lives until we have wasted away the possibilities of greater things. In Alma 47 and Alma 48 we see this juxtaposition, a great counterfeit of freedom and purpose and its authentic identity. Of course one might say that my western culture upbringing leads me to identify authenticity with Alma 48 but isn't that the deeper irony, using culture to define right and wrong in a discussion of counterfeits. The Gospel of Jesus Christ transcends these things and manifests its veracity through the actions of men like Moroni. Beware of counterfeits, they lead to sorrow. Another great treatise, What Manner of Men Ought Ye to Be?, of the true archetype.