Is Forrest Gump's Mum Going to Hell?

[Purple Knight]

There's a scene in Forrest Gump where his mum trades sexual favours with the principal of the school in exchange for her mentally handicapped (by only 5 IQ points under the required 80) son to be able to attend normal classes. I've never believed in anything really and when I saw the film at a young age, I thought, how horrible a thing, what a disgusting thing that she would do, so her son can have a better chance at a normal life. I considered her a hero. I even thought, I would not do such a thing in that position. Just too gross.

Biblically, however, sex is pretty well sacred.

Question for Debate: Is sacrificing your own body in a sexual way, but entirely for the selfless good of someone else, a heroic or an evil act?

(The thread title was intentionally sensational. I understand that in Christianity, doing something wrong or even evil does not automatically mean you burn in Hell. I quite understand about forgiveness. My question is whether this is something she needs to be forgiven for.)

[Tcg]

Yes he was, that was why I tried to joke that he'd be "for real innocent" but it flopped. If the rule is that the act must benefit someone else and can do no harm, I am certainly capable of understanding that, I'm just doubtful that the passage in question actually says that.

I have to agree that it may not. But I don't think it means that if you love your wife it's okay to shoot and kill her along with her lover.

Who knows. Ms. Gump did a weird thing, but it presumably helped her son a great deal.


Tcg

[JoeyKnothead]

Peace to you,

[Replying to Purple Knight in post #1]
Is sacrificing your own body in a sexual way, but entirely for the selfless good of someone else, a heroic or an evil act?

I was just going to mention the same thing as tcg, but he beat me to it. Another example would be a prostitute who sells her body so as to feed/care for her household (a child, parents, siblings, loved ones, etc). She is acting out of love for others, and love covers over a multitude of sins.

(granted, if Ms. Gump's action had unjustly bumped another child out of their place, then there would be no love being shown to that other child)
**
I think this is secondary to your point, but: hell is not a place of punishment and eternal torment; it is just the world of the dead; the dead in that place are conscious of nothing, but are asleep and awaiting the resurrection of the dead. Not going to debate that on here (will post links to other debates if requested); I just wanted to make that clear.

Peace again!

Ya can tell a lot about a person by how the interpret their bible. I like Miss tam's bible.

[tam]

Peace to you Joey,

Peace to you,

[Replying to Purple Knight in post #1]
Is sacrificing your own body in a sexual way, but entirely for the selfless good of someone else, a heroic or an evil act?

I was just going to mention the same thing as tcg, but he beat me to it. Another example would be a prostitute who sells her body so as to feed/care for her household (a child, parents, siblings, loved ones, etc). She is acting out of love for others, and love covers over a multitude of sins.

(granted, if Ms. Gump's action had unjustly bumped another child out of their place, then there would be no love being shown to that other child)
**
I think this is secondary to your point, but: hell is not a place of punishment and eternal torment; it is just the world of the dead; the dead in that place are conscious of nothing, but are asleep and awaiting the resurrection of the dead. Not going to debate that on here (will post links to other debates if requested); I just wanted to make that clear.

Peace again!

Ya can tell a lot about a person by how the interpret their bible. I like Miss tam's bible.

I am glad you like that understanding - I love this as well - though I am only going by what my Lord teaches (and that shouldn't be a surprise considering that Christ never turned his nose up at prostitutes or other sinners; though he did have some words for those who DID judge and think themselves better than 'sinners'), and seeing with the eyes that He gave me.

He also taught me to test the inspired expressions against a) Him - His words, teachings, example, the truth that He has taught me; and b) against love (because God is love and the law that comes from Him is also love.)



Thank you as always for your kind words, and peace again to you.

[1213]

Is Forrest Gump's Mum Going to Hell?

Bible tells eternal life is for righteous. I don’t know is she righteous, but if she is, then I believe she don’t go to hell.

These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
Mat. 25:46

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

I don’t think what she did is righteous, even if it would be good for the kid. I believe there is always better way than do wrong things to get something good.

[nobspeople]

[Replying to Purple Knight in post #1]

Is sacrificing your own body in a sexual way, but entirely for the selfless good of someone else, a heroic or an evil act?My question is whether this is something she needs to be forgiven for

Christians would probably say YES, I suspect.
Speaking from outside the Christian perspective, I'm not sure I'd qualify her act as 'heroic'.
Rather or not she NEEDS forgiven for it would probably be for her to decide with her own god and no on else's business (said in general - I understand the point of the thread)

[JehovahsWitness]

Question for Debate: Is sacrificing your own body in a sexual way, but entirely for the selfless good of someone else, a heroic or an evil act?

Are those the only choices? "sacrificing your own body in a sexual way [for favors]" even if those favors will be bestowed on someone else most deserving, is just a euphemism for "to prostitute yourself". Prostitution for any reason is condemnted in scripture as sexual immorality. That said, there is no scriptural reason to believe it is an unforgivable sin, or that God does not understand that some people see that as their only realistic option.



JW

[nobspeople]

[Replying to JehovahsWitness in post #17]

that God does not understand that some people see that as their only realistic option.

Do you think God 'understanding' means said action isn't a sin?
Simply curious.

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to JehovahsWitness in post #17]

there is no scriptural reason to believe ... that God does not understand that some people see that as their only realistic option.

Do you think God 'understanding' means said action isn't a sin?
Simply curious.

No its still a sin. But we all sin in one way or another... there is a scripture that says God knows "we are dust" (not stardust but dirt-dust) meaning imho, that God understands our weaknesses and limitations. Scripturally He can never approve of sin and anyone wanting to please him must cease from practising all forms of sexual immorality (thats a non-negociable ) but I believe God understands how difficult this may be.



JW

[Purple Knight]

Ya can tell a lot about a person by how the interpret their bible. I like Miss tam's bible.

I do too, to be perfectly honest. I like Tam's interpretation. And I dislike avocados. Extremely. If only this were a matter of taste.

Now you can say, but, Purple Knight, you're an atheist, so don't you think it really is just a matter of taste? How could you think otherwise?

Well, I don't believe God's existence is necessary, but I do believe morality is real, and I believe it is absolute. It might be real and absolute because it comes from God who makes it absolute, but it might just be written into the fabric of the universe, or it might come from some other moral authority. The Catholics have a Pope, for example. Now, they already believe that God is a higher moral authority. What God says about morality > what Purple Knight says about morality. They already believe in moral authority. So it's not logically impossible to cut out God and just have the Pope. The Pope might be a legitimate moral authority even if there isn't a God. I'm not saying it's true, but it might be true, and it's one way to have absolute morality without a god.

I don’t think what she did is righteous, even if it would be good for the kid. I believe there is always better way than do wrong things to get something good.

I honestly don't think anyone believes that - believes that it's okay to do something wrong in exchange for a good outcome. The question is why the act is wrong. It didn't hurt anybody but her. It was, at least, as far as I see it, a selfless act.

Are those the only choices? "sacrificing your own body in a sexual way [for favors]" even if those favors will be bestowed on someone else most deserving, is just a euphemism for "to prostitute yourself". Prostitution for any reason is condemned in scripture as sexual immorality. That said, there is no scriptural reason to believe it is an unforgivable sin, or that God does not understand that some people see that as their only realistic option.

This is pretty much the interpretation I see as the correct one. And it's pretty fair, I would say fairer than the last one I quoted, because maybe there is another option, but not every human is going to see every option.

My question to both you and 1213 would simply be this:

You'd feel differently if it was her arm, right? What if, instead of sex, the principal had wanted her to chop off her arm and give it to him? What if it was her severed arm and not her vagina? Then it's a selfless and heroic act, not a sinful one?

I realise this is going to seem like a very strange outlier question and I realise it's going to very much seem like I'm trying to get a gotcha, but I'm not. I'm genuinely thinking about this. I'm genuinely wondering, okay, if the arm is fine, what if he goes in the closet and then uses the arm in, you know, a way. In this case, she didn't know what he would do with the arm, but she still sold herself, and it was still for sex. If you say this saves her, I would make the case that it is not the ignorance that does it, but the cut that made her arm separate from her will when she amputated it. I wonder if we can make such a cut spiritually and not physically: I don't want this God, let my body not be mine until this is over, it is separate from my will. Now, this might not apply to regular prostitution since something is obtained for that person and it is connected to the will. It would only apply to totally selfless prostitution where nothing whatsoever is obtained for the prostitute. I'm still mulling this concept over and wondering if it makes any sense. It doesn't make a lot, as of yet, I admit.

[Miles]

There's a scene in Forrest Gump where his mum trades sexual favours with the principal of the school in exchange for her mentally handicapped (by only 5 IQ points under the required 80) son to be able to attend normal classes. I've never believed in anything really and when I saw the film at a young age, I thought, how horrible a thing, what a disgusting thing that she would do, so her son can have a better chance at a normal life. I considered her a hero. I even thought, I would not do such a thing in that position. Just too gross.

Biblically, however, sex is pretty well sacred.

Question for Debate: Is sacrificing your own body in a sexual way, but entirely for the selfless good of someone else, a heroic or an evil act?

It would all depend on what I'd be expected to do and what the particular good was.

In the situation where Gump's mother had, I presume---I don't recall the movie all that well---sexual intercourse with the principal in order to get Gump enrolled, I don't see it as that much of a sacrifice. Lots and lots of people have "sacrificed" far more in order to get what they've wanted. So while I don't see it as evil, neither do I regard it as all that heroic.


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