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This is a post I wrote for the S.P.A.M. web site back around 2009-2010, when Windows Vista was first coming out. I used the release of the new version of Windows as an analogy for the apostasy and restoration. It turned out to be a pretty good parable of sorts, using some modern elements we can all relate to in the Internet age. Enjoy! A fellow Latter-day Saint, Greg N. wrote the other day, using the analogy of the "blind taste test." To get a fair assessment of a product, one often has to get around the prejudices and false notions that people already have. It is a reasonable thing to do. Take off the labels, take off the fancy packaging, and put the product in a situation where it can be evaluated on its own merits. Microsoft is currently using such a marketing approach to get people to reconsider the false notions they have about Windows Vista. People are resistant to new things. Windows Vista is a perfect, current example of this. I began my career in information technology on machines that ran Windows 95, 98, and NT. I still get "warm fuzzy" feelings every time I get near a NT box! Then Microsoft introduced Windows 2000 for the enterprise environment. Wow! What a change! There was a lot of resistance by some system administrators, because we had put so much time into building and securing networks built upon Windows NT. A lot of our work would be undone. There was a learning curve. The common system components were called something different and they were located in different places. The fundamentals of computing and networking are still the same, but we had to go hunting to find them. When I built my first Windows 2000 network, I was pleasantly surprised. Hey! This works! It took some time to get used to the new interface. That slowed me down somewhat, but not for long. After studying it, I was prepared to use it. Once I used it, I could see the benefits. I was "converted to it." The same thing happened when XP came along. People were reluctant to accept it. Again, there were benefits, but there was a learning curve. Now, we've got Vista and it's the same old story. It's just resistance to change. There is a wonderful parallel here with the gospel. Although there is no single, perfect computer operating system, there IS a single, perfect gospel. The Lord has, at varying times, revealed portions of it according to man's ability to accept and live it. The ancient patriarchs like Adam, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham enjoyed a fullness of it. In Moses' time, because of the unbelief and rebellion of Israel, the Lord provided the people with the Levitical Law, a "schoolmaster" to bring them to Christ. They had a "tutorial program" given to them to prepare them to recognize and believe in Christ. Jesus gave the whole gospel program to Peter, James, John and the other apostles. They had the "keys of the kingdom." This is like having "administrator rights" to the whole network. No one else was authorized to make changes or to reconfigure the "network." That didn't stop the Adversary from trying to hack the network, however. Eventually, his hackers cracked the security by getting people to reject the legal "admins" and to ultimately murder them. They pirated and spoofed others, to convince them that their network was the same as the original one. Once the hackers had compromised the system, they changed the system passwords. In the "forest" of network domains, these false system administrators cut the links and separated their domains from the topmost level. They changed the security and refused "broadcasts" from the top. In time, God--the top-level "System Administrator"-- sent out a new product, a new version. This version included full backward compatibility with the original system he had devised. However, the hacked, corrupted system was not compatible. As the new system rolled out, the hackers did not take this lying down. They published all sorts of articles and books that said that the new system wouldn't work. They said that the new product was flawed because it didn't match their hacked, pirated system. As the new system rolled out, the hackers attacked it, not only in discussions about it, but they physically attacked it also. They spread lies, distortions, sent out viruses. However the new system had greater security and was resistant to their attacks. As the new product rolled out, many people listened to the hackers, simply because they had been there for so long, they assumed that they must have some kind of authority or legitimacy. However, it just wasn't the case. In time, the new system gained converts. Some immediately saw its benefits. Others heard the testimonials of those who had been converted. Because they had confidence in their friends and associates, they investigated for themselves and found that the new system was good and they adopted it for themselves. The new system spread around the world rapidly. Nevertheless, the hackers continued their attacks. In some cases, they managed to crash some individual systems. In other cases, they were able to turn converts away, back to their old, corrupt system because of peer pressure, tradition, or coercion. Mostly, their efforts were focused on deterring others from converting to the new system. It was easier to prejudice those who were ignorant of the possibilities of the new system or who were just too proud to make the switch. The hackers exploited human nature's resistance to change. They made convincing intellectual arguments and some that simply appealed to prejudice or vanity. They put out new screen savers, new innovations, and new service packs, but they couldn't match the functionality and robust capability of the newly revealed system. Most of all, what they couldn't match is the thrill of being able to access the old features of the original system, which the hackers told everyone were no longer available. When faced with losing their market share, there's nothing the hackers wouldn't do to protect the power and control they exercise to keep their user base from learning the truth. The most frightening thing in the world to them is a user who suddenly realizes for himself that he can go to the top-level "System Administrator," download the new system directly and get a free password to all the features of the new system. Likewise, the Restored Gospel has been given by God, the "System Administrator." It is being rolled out across the earth. There are those who oppose it, but nothing will stop it or deter it from moving forward. Eventually it will be far more ubiquitous than Windows and provide every single person who believes it with access to the full light, power, and knowledge that God has to offer us.

I've been away from the Church for about 6 months, but now I'm back and stronger in the faith than ever before. I went back to my Catholic "roots" for a while, and while I do love some things about the Catholic Church, the love and concern I experienced from my LDS friends was overwhelming. When the Bishop came to visit me, it was answer to prayer, because I was "stuck between two loves". When I went back to my Ward last Sunday, I knew I was where I was suppose to be. I talked to the Bishop for two hours after the meetings and I learned alot about the true Priesthood. So now, I am interested in studying about The Apostasy and why the Restoration of the Fullness of the Gospel was really so necessary and vital, I would love to hear from others here about this subject. This morning I listened to two YouTube videos about this subject and learned that most all faiths had a part to play in the Father's plan. You can watch these videos HERE. I would like to hear (read) your comments on these talks, also. Thank you for this site. It's good to be back!

Hello, does the Church have any "official" standpoint on when the apostasy happened? I get the impression many LDS think it happened very early, as soon as all the apostles had died? But didnt they pass the teachings on to any worthy new disciples of their own? Did it really end so soon?? Other say it was in the 4th century AD when Christianity became official state religion of the roman empire, first council of Nicea, etc?

I've been attending Miss Prep lately and we've been going through Preach My Gospel. In section 3 Lesson 1, there's a subheading called "Heavenly Father Reveals His Gospel in Every Dispensation." We were talking about how God loves His children enough to want to guide them through all times of history. The first paragraph actually states "One important way that God shows His love for us is by calling prophets, who are given the priesthood." My question is if God loves us to call living prophets, why did there need to "come a falling away" (2 Thessalonians 2:3) and the Great Apostasy? Why couldn't there have been some sort of restoration before America. I know many people say that a country with religious freedom had to be established first, but He's God. couldn't he have called someone before then and kept the church on the earth?