Ray

I carefully viewed and reviewed your wonderfully composed flowchart. I made a rather frightful discover.

Hell is not included in your plan.

Obviously Jesus believed in hell and so should his followers.

The subject of hell is covered extensively in the Book of Mormon. Those who claim to believe in the Book of Mormon should believe in hell.

What makes the neglect of hell in your chart so telling is the considering of a verse in the Book of Mormon regarding the last days.

9. For the kingdom of the devil must shake, and they which belong to it must needs be stirred up unto repentance, or the devil will grasp them with his everlasting chains, and they be stirred up to anger, and perish;
20. For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.
21. And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well--and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.
22. And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none--and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.
23. Yea, they are grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil, and all that have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be judged according to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for them, even a lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment.

We see that those who preach that there is no hell are inspired from beneath. It is a major thrust of the devil in the last days to convince mankind that there is no hell.

One can overtly preach that “there is no hell” or it can be done more effectively by just leaving the subject untouched in sermons, prayers, lesson manuals, conversations or flowcharts.

Either way, we are following the devils approach to misleading mankind until “they are grasped with death, and hell”.

And if that isn’t an important consideration, latter-day saints are even pointed out in these and following verses (he who has ears, let him hear):

And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well...Wo be unto him that crieth: All is well!

Yikes!

You may say that the “concept” of hell is included in your chart. Who would know? you share this chart far and wide on Quora and if falls before members of your church and those who aren’t. What would nonbelievers conclude from your illustration? Worse, your plan of Salvation doesn’t even mention Jesus and the atonement!! Really? Christless plan?

I think you should review and update your chart. Or does it accurately reflect your doctrine?

Michael
Hell is outer darkness in the upper diagram. There are so few going there, I didn’t include it in my simplified lower diagram. Seems like we’ve been through all this before. We’re going to have to agree to disagree.

Ray

SAYS YOU: "There are so few going there"

ME: Ah! So taught Pres. Oaks at conference. There were other opinions regrading few/many.

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Beware of false prophets...

Someone asked Jesus "Lord, are there few that be saved?". I suppose you would have answered "No. Almost everyone will be saved in the kingdom of heaven. God is loving and forgiving. There are so few who aren't saved they are not worth mentioning or illustrating on my bubble chart”. You will tell me of, to quote Oaks, the ultimate glorious destiny of all of God’s children. Adding "the restored Church of Jesus Christ teaches that all the children of God—with exceptions too limited to consider here—will finally wind up in a kingdom of glory. All will be glorified, even the unclean who reject Christ in this life and even in the spirit prison, with blessings and glory "all of which are more wonderful than we can comprehend.".

However, Jesus had a different view.

Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:
Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.

That is the Gospel in the Bible. The Book of Mormon testifies as a second witness of the truthfulness of Jesus' teaching. Praise be to God.

As far as blessings more wonderful that we can comprehend, that promise was not a universal gift but only for those that love Him:

But as it is written,
Eye hath not seen,
nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man,
the things which God hath prepared
for them that love him.

Everyone else can expect, if Jesus wasn’t lying just to scare us (Doctrine and Covenants 19:7-8), “weeping and gnashing of teeth…thrust out”.

Now, despite your instruction to teach out of the Book of Mormon and Bible, to use those two books to confound false doctrine, that the stick of Judah and of Joseph will be one in your hand to answer gospel questions, you will go beyond what is written in those volumes and go after a Living Oracle. But Paul, in dealing with those who followed after their favorite teacher or prophet or apostle, wrote:

...learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other. (1 Corinthians 4:6, NIV)

The practice of going beyond what is written in those two plain and precious books has always been the root of apostasy and division.

I guess there is one thing we agree on. That is, we disagree.

Micheal

The straight gate is baptism and leads to salvation in the Celestial Kingdom. Apparently, you didn’t know that.

Only those who are valiant in their testimony of the Savior (D&C 76:51, 79) will enter that gate. I have no idea how many that will be, but it’s most assuredly not “almost everyone”.

Those going to outer darkness include the sons of perdition which will likely be very few. They will join the 1/3 who followed Satan in the pre-mortal existence.

When Jesus was asked about being saved, he spoke only of the Celestial Kingdom. Read my book on salvation. There are different degrees of salvation. We have a Gospel Principles manual that is designed for new members and investigators. You may want to read it. It’s online at:

Ray

SAYS YOU: "Gospel Principles"

ME: Actually, I recently pursued that book, reading it in English and Spanish. I also, as Elders Quorum President, taught an elder's wife how to read using that book.

SAYS YOU: "The straight gate is baptism and leads to salvation in the Celestial Kingdom."

ME: what you call the Celestial Kingdom, the word of God calls either the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven. Those two refer to the same place. they are interchangeable. The other option is the kingdom of the devil:

Alma 5

24. Behold, my brethren, do ye suppose that such an one can have a place to sit down in the KINGDOM OF GOD, with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, and also all the holy prophets, whose garments are cleansed and are spotless, pure and white?
25. I say unto you, Nay; except ye make our Creator a liar from the beginning, or suppose that he is a liar from the beginning, ye cannot suppose that such can have place in THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN; but they shall be cast out for they are the children of THE KINGDOM OF THE DEVIL.

The strait gate (another indication how narrow and restricting, rather than the broad way you propose, the entrance) is not only baptism.

Unshaken faith in him

2 Nephi 31:19 ....ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path....by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.

Faith in Christ and complete reliance on his merits compels us to be baptized. Once we do that, we have the remission of sins. Now that the temple has been cleaned, we get the Holy Ghost. We become God's true temple. Our hearts become the Holy of Holies.

Receive Holy Ghost

We will obey the Holy Ghost to know how to press on.

Alma 34:36 And this I know, because the Lord hath said he dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous doth he dwell;

2 Nephi 31:18 And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost...

2 Nephi 32:5 For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.

Christs Example

Once we have the Holy Ghost, we will do the things we see Jesus do. We see what He does in scriptures.

2 Nephi 31:17 Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do;

3 Nephi 27:21 Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do;

Scriptures

We will study the Book of Mormon and Bible to discover how to carry on:

2 Nephi 32:3 ....Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.

Personal Revelation

Jesus will manifest himself to us in the flesh and what we will do what he personally tells us to do according to personal revelation.

2 Nephi 32:6 ...And when he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh, the things which he shall say unto you shall ye observe to do.

That's it, according to the book of Mormon. Do you see in these instructions running to Living Oracles? This is the gate and the strait and narrow road (not the broad way where even God's enemies will be saved) that leads to eternal life.

2 Nephi 31:18 And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life;

Every broad path leads to hell. One enters the gate that leads to eternal life, the Kingdom of God, or, on the other hand, the Justice of God lands you in the awful hell. Two Gates.

2 Nephi 4:32 May the gates of hell be shut continually before me, because that my heart is broken and my spirit is contrite! O Lord, wilt thou not shut the gates of thy righteousness before me, that I may walk in the path of the low valley, that I may be strict in the plain road!

1 Nephi 15:35 And there is a place prepared, yea, even that awful hell of which I have spoken, and the devil is the preparator of it; wherefore the final state of the souls of men is to dwell in the kingdom of God, or to be cast out because of that justice of which I have spoken.

Unfortunately, only a few will find it rather than almost everyone.

Matthew 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Sons of Mosiah and Uncle Mike

If this were not true, the sons of Mosiah would have been under a horrible delusion. They wanted to preach to the Lamanites. After taking this honor unto themselves (D&C 4:3), they ran the idea past their dad.

Mosiah 28:3-4 Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble. And thus did the Spirit of the Lord work upon them.

Had they ran it past Uncle Mike, he would have corrected them.

"Kids! Kids! Kids! Don't you know that the plan of salvation is the most loving plan on the face of the earth? Very few souls, hardly worth mentioning here, are going to endure endless torment. Everyone else will be glorified and receive great joy beyond anything we can comprehend! So, cool your jets. Go to college. God has all souls covered nicely."

"But, Uncle Mike, are you like the others we told about our desires? "...they laughed us to scorn?

For they said unto us: Do ye suppose that ye can bring the Lamanites to the knowledge of the truth? Do ye suppose that ye can convince the Lamanites of the incorrectness of the traditions of their fathers, as stiffnecked a people as they are; whose hearts delight in the shedding of blood; whose days have been spent in the grossest iniquity; whose ways have been the ways of a transgressor from the beginning?

Uncle Mike replies "God's loving and merciful plan glorifies even those 'whose hearts delight in the shedding of blood; whose days have been spent in the grossest iniquity; whose ways have been the ways of a transgressor from the beginning'. It's a very merciful and loving plan, you know. Despite what your little, narrow-minded book tells you, God only has children. He has no enemies".

The boys call to mind "For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord" and "But remember that he that persists in his own carnal nature, and goes on in the ways of sin and rebellion against God, remaineth in his fallen state and the devil hath all power over him. Therefore, he is as though there was no redemption made, being an enemy to God; and also is the devil an enemy to God". They keep their thoughts to themselves, not wanting to upset Uncle's apple (go ahead and eat it and become a god) cart.

Uncle continues with some wise advice. "You need to talk to Reverend Nehor because 'he also testified unto the people that all mankind should be saved at the last day, and that they need not fear nor tremble, but that they might lift up their heads and rejoice; for the Lord had created all men, and had also redeemed all men; and, in the end, all men should have eternal life'. See how loving and merciful God is? If they don't come to 'the knowledge of the truth' in this life, the day of probation, they will have the opportunity after death to come to that knowledge.

"Besides Reverend Nehor, there are many who say 'if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God'. Folks will be able to suffer for their own sins before the resurrection and judgement.

"Hurry to see the good Reverend because he is on the way to the Hill Manti with a bunch of people even as we speak."

"But", asks Ammon, "Didn't Grandpa Nephi tell us somewhere 'Wherefore, if ye have sought to do wickedly in the days of your probation, then ye are found unclean before the judgment-seat of God; and no unclean thing can dwell with God; wherefore, ye must be cast off forever'? (1 Nephi 10:21). And didn't Jesus himself say ‘And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end’?

"Also, don't we read that '...there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who shall come; yea, remember that he cometh to redeem the world'? How can anyone believe that they can suffer for their own sins? Did Christ die in vain?

"What are you?", exclaims Uncle Mike in disgust, "Are you some kind of Book of Mormon thumper?"

The boys, having been taught better, go to their father, Mosiah, anyway noting that they have much to teach Uncle Mike when they return. They leave him a Book of Mormon, hoping he will take the contents seriously as he covenanted he would in that holy place.

Mosiah 28

5. And it came to pass that they did plead with their father many days that they might go up to the land of Nephi.
6. And king Mosiah went and inquired of the Lord if he should let his sons go up among the Lamanites to preach the word.
7. And the Lord said unto Mosiah: Let them go up, for many shall believe on their words, and they shall have eternal life...
8. And it came to pass that Mosiah granted that they might go and do according to their request.

Years later, they return from the mission field and note:

Alma 26

13. Behold, how many thousands of our brethren has he loosed from the pains of hell; and they are brought to sing redeeming love..
14. Yea, we have reason to praise him forever, for he is the Most High God, and has loosed our brethren from the chains of hell.
15. Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love;

Sadly, to believe other plans requires "looking beyond the mark" (Jacob 4:14), 'going beyond what is written', and "transfiguring the Word of God" (Mormon 8:33) and 'building on some other foundation' by redefining plain and precious words, so plain that a man cannot err, to fit one's preconceived fancies. “Salvation”, “damnation”, “saved”, “final”, “Kingdom of God/Heaven”, “eternal life”, “unclean”, “justice” and a host of other words must be twisted beyond consistant and clear meaning to fit the round peg in a square hole of false doctrine. All of these words must take on fluid definitions depending on how they conform to or contradict established doctrine of Living Oracles. They can even transform themselves from verse to verse.

Trifle not with sacred things. (Doctrine and Covenants 6:12).