Plan of salvation chart

[Guest Doctrine]

I was talking with some members about the plan of salvation chart and they said we no longer use it and the church has been phasing it out for a while. I must say I never heard of this, have I been out of the loop or something. ( Don't answer the last statement, lol ).

What are your thoughts.

The chart of three circles across then resurrection then three circles vertical.

[Guest]

Never heard of it. I was in Primary last year and we used it then.

[james12]

I haven't heard of any changes either. But frankly I would be happier if we stated teaching the plan of salvation more like it is taught in the Book of Mormon or the Temple. Pres. Benson commented on this once. He said:

I am deeply concerned about what we are doing to teach the Saints at all levels the gospel of Jesus Christ as completely and authoritatively as do the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants. By this I mean teaching the "great plan of the Eternal God" to use the words of Amulek (Alma 34:9).

...The Book of Mormon saints knew that the plan of redemption must start with the account of the fall of Adam. In the words of Moroni, “By Adam came the fall of man. And because of the fall of man came Jesus Christ, … and because of Jesus Christ came the redemption of man” (Morm. 9:12).

...Are we accepting and teaching what the revelations tell us about the creation, Adam and the fall of man, and redemption from that fall through the atonement of Christ? Do we frequently review the critical questions which Alma asks the members of the church in the fifth chapter of Alma in the Book of Mormon?

...What personal meaning does the Lord's suffering in Gethsemane and on Calvary have for each of us?

...What does redemption from the fall mean to us? In the words of Alma, do we "sing the song of redeeming love"? (The Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants", Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign May 1987)

[Vort]

I was talking with some members about the plan of salvation chart and they said we no longer use it and the church has been phasing it out for a while. I must say I never heard of this, have I been out of the loop or something. ( Don't answer the last statement, lol ).

What are your thoughts.

The chart of three circles across then resurrection then three circles vertical.

I used this in my missionary teaching in Italy. One time, a person listened to my spiel, then said, "So that's it? Three circles and that sums up my entire existence?" I've never looked at the "three circles chart" the same way, and I never used it again.

[Daybreak79]

On my mission we used what we called "Spiritual Bob" to teach the plan of salvation. They were cut outs that included a heavenly home, the veil, earth, a tombstone to talk about death, the spirit world, the resurrection and judgement and each degree of glory. And it would have a figure we would call "Bob" that had a cut out for his earthly body and his spirit and then we would talk about each stage in the plan of salvation. It was most investigators favorite lesson because we could lay out each step of the plan for them and they could see the whole plan.

I know the Distribution center still sells them, but I can not find it on their website, probably because I don't know know the real name for the teaching aid.

[person122]

So, if they are not using the plan of salvation chart, what are they using?

[drham3rd]

During my lessons in June, the missionaries drew a diagram that basically showed the earth, and various circles labeled as Pre-mortal, post-mortal, celestial kingdom, etc… It was not like a vein diagram but more like a flow chart approach!

[Lakumi]

During my lessons in June, the missionaries drew a diagram that basically showed the earth, and various circles labeled as Pre-mortal, post-mortal, celestial kingdom, etc… It was not like a vein diagram but more like a flow chart approach!

yeah I got that too... I'd have drawn it like a tree but looking at the way missionaries do things I know I would do things weirdly different and thus constantly annoy and butt heads with the other one...

I like the nametags

[Leah]

On my mission we used what we called "Spiritual Bob" to teach the plan of salvation. They were cut outs that included a heavenly home, the veil, earth, a tombstone to talk about death, the spirit world, the resurrection and judgement and each degree of glory. And it would have a figure we would call "Bob" that had a cut out for his earthly body and his spirit and then we would talk about each stage in the plan of salvation. It was most investigators favorite lesson because we could lay out each step of the plan for them and they could see the whole plan.

I know the Distribution center still sells them, but I can not find it on their website, probably because I don't know know the real name for the teaching aid.

When I took the lessons in 2011, there was something like this and an illustration that may have been the chart referenced in the OP. The figure my missionaries used looked suspiciously like Calvan from Calvin and Hobbes.

I found the visuals helpful. I am sure a lot of people do.

[Just_A_Guy]

From what I can see, the current missionary manual (Preach My Gospel) doesn't use the circles-chart. They depict it more as a timeline (see p. 54).

[jbeggs]

The first missionaries who taught me taught me the plan of salvation with matchbox cars and quarters.

The missionaries who brought me back to the church used a bunch of stacked cups to teach the apostasy & restoration. The 12 apostles were on the bottom & once they were gone, the rest of the church fell apart (the other cups stacked on top fall ie priesthood).

They were actually really good.

[Vort]

The first missionaries who taught me taught me the plan of salvation with matchbox cars and quarters.

The missionaries who brought me back to the church used a bunch of stacked cups to teach the apostasy & restoration. The 12 apostles were on the bottom & once they were gone, the rest of the church fell apart (the other cups stacked on top fall ie priesthood).

They were actually really good.

Yes, the stacked cups visual makes sense and can be effective in conveying the teachings. I continued to use that metaphor when talking about the apostasy. But I entirely quit using the circles of salvation. (That and the Flight to Eternity, which I always hated, became my missionary pet peeves.)