Pastor And Seminary Teacher Who Was Outed As Member of Ashley Madison Commits Suicide..

Daily Mail (UK) ^ | September 8, 2015 | WILLS ROBINSON

[Steelfish]

Pastor And Seminary Teacher Who Was Outed As Member of Ashley Madison Commits Suicide Because He Carried Too Much 'Shame' John Gibson, 56, taught at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminar Was on the list of 32million names released after the huge hack in August His wife Christi said he felt shame, but insisted she would've forgiven him Gibson had also suffered from addiction and depression in the past By WILLS ROBINSON 8 September 2015

A pastor who was outed as a member of Ashley Madison has committed suicide. Father-of-two John Gibson, a teacher at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminar was found dead by his wife after his name was one of the 32 million released during the cyber hack last month. The 56 year old is just one of many purported users of the extra-marital affair site who are believed to have taken their own lives after the huge release of names by online criminals .

[wastoute]

I wonder. My SIL got his Masters of Divinity there. When I asked him if they had mentioned social justice theology he did say there was one perfesser who had taught that as a good thing.

[Jonty30]

Only because every member of Freerepublic is a real person and not a false account.

[rikkir]

Thank you both for your answers, they have helped.
I have to tell both of you that I’m glad this topic did not come up 8 moths ago.
6 months ago I was left almost completely disabled (bedridden), and in 24 hour, blinding pain.
I contemplated suicide many times in those first few months.
The pain, the belief that I was an unbearable burden to my wife, the utter hopelessness of the situation because of the monetary strain caused by Obamacare, and insurance. There many reasons for me to end my life, and very few not to.
The only things that pulled me away from that cliff, especially the first few times, was the absolute belief that it meant eternity in hell. Obviously worse than the pain I was and currently am in.
Eventually I also came to see the hurt the act would cause my loved ones, but when you think of yourself as a useless burden on those around you the feelings of others get lost.
Don’t misunderstand, the situation has improved a little. I found a new doctor (150 miles away), am getting some pain relief, and am learning how to walk again. I’m still facing this for the rest of my life, but there is the tiniest light at the end of the tunnel.
When I posted that I believed suicide was the only unforgivable sin, I didn’t do it to be judgmental of that Pastor, rather as a belief so firmly held that it may be the only reason I am still here today.
Then to have someone post that I must believe that Christianity was about good works, and that I must believe in purgatory, and indulgences because I believed this shook the bedrock of my faith pretty severely.
I absolutely do not believe in those things. My Faith has always been very black, and white. Even after accepting Christ, I still believed sin without forgiveness would condemn my soul to hell.
To me being a Christian is much more work than not being one. Not believing in anything requires no work. Being Saved has always required being aware of further sin, and bending a knee to God everyday, and asking forgiveness for not living up to his expectations for me.
I always thought I had a good handle on this, and could honestly answer the question of if I was going to Heaven.
I’ve actually had people post to me that because I believe there may be life in other parts of the universe, and that because I believe that science enhances my Faith, I wasn’t being a good enough Christian.
Or that because I choose to trust in God, and be happy, and not sit around and worry about the end of the world, and all these supposed signs that gloom and doom were upon us all the time, that I wasn’t being a good enough Christian.
Then all this tonight, not from you 2, but the other responses, let’s just say, now I don’t even know what it does, or doesn’t take to get to heaven, beyond what I already did.
Thanks again to both of you for your kind words, and attempt to clear the fog.

[wastoute]

It was not hacked. Some one walked out with a CD.

[cva66snipe]

Oh man. Can I give you a spouse/caregiver perspective in dealing with someone who has serious disabilities? They would rather have you among them alive and there to love than gone. I was a thirty year husband and caregiver. My wife was a C-5/C-6 incomplete quadriplegic. She collapsed on a date. GOD took control. He dealt with me in a way I understood He was there, this was to be, and it would be OK. The presence of The Holy Spirit and told me and me only in laying on hand for her healing. That experience was a peace I have never felt before or sense nor can describe. Things were rough for a few years.

Ten years into this my own health went nuts. I've had life long Inner Ear issues. So bad the ships medical officer wavered me out of what was called The Hole or boiler rooms.

Twenty years ago it finally came to a head at work. I would experience brain fogs and upper torso seizures or jerks at certain sounds. I still do. My Inner Ear and a part of my brain it is wired too is damaged.

Now a person might say why would this happen? What was GOD thinking? Where was GOD? He was right there. I was working because our daughters {my step daughters} were old enough to care for her and call me if needed. One married and the other was fixing too leaving my wife without someone at home to care for her. Blam it hit LOL.

With physical illness can come severe depression and anxiety. They all go hand in hand. I can't say this strongly enough find a Christian LCSW which is a therapist. They won't give you meds. They can't. They teach you to cope with it and are someone besides family you can talk too and it goes no further.

I've also had PTSD and with a serious illness it can happen. Life is worth living even my wife enjoyed her final years. The hardest thing was saying goodbye when GOD called her home. All of us were with her.

She interacted with literally hundreds of persons over the past 30 years. GOD has a plan buckle the seatbelt up and watch for high curves that can tip you over and I say that both as wheelchair safety advice and spiritual :>}

Please do not let anyone do you like some did her. One person said Oh your lack of faith is why you can't walk. It took me several years to undo that guys damage. He should have told Joni Ericson Tada that and heard her reply. I highly recommend her books and the one "Joni" first. She goes through it all in her books the anger, fear, all of it. She has been a high quad since the 1960's and is 66 now I think. This happened when she was about 17.. We got to meet her once she has a disability ministry.

I'd give anything for more minutes with my wife. I can't change that and this was my second wife who died. My first one was 23 and had a heart attack. It was a couple months later I met my future wife and in love & faith married her a couple more months later in a hospital chapel. Thirty years with her and caring for her. No Regrets for that.. NONE!

[cva66snipe]

It was not hacked. Some one walked out with a CD.

Thanks. Same guilt though in my eyes as intention was the same as well as the results.

[cva66snipe]

Are you near Knoxville close enough to drive there? I can recommend some good doctors if you can.

[cva66snipe]

One last thing and it was interesting. When I became disabled I retained my physical strength. I was still able to pick her up and do the transfers. She had to tell me things like where I just put a cup down at or remind me of what I was doing. She the brains me the brawn LOL. His plan.

[rikkir]

Thanks, that helps.
I guess where I get, or got confused is the fact I have never felt that the asking God for forgiveness was a burden, or a chore.
I speak to God frequently. I try very hard to be aware of things that I believe dishonor the agreement I made with Him when I accepted His son as my Savior.
Thing is, even though I know God is an omnipotent supreme being, when I speak to him through prayer, my idea of Prayer is like I’m speaking to a really close friend.
I talk to God in the same way I’m speaking to you. I don’t ask God to solve problems for me, I only ask for the clarification of a problem so I can solve it in a way that He wants me to.
I do the same when asking Him for forgiveness. I know things are sins because I fell crappy about them, and I know that’s him in my heart telling me I’ve done something boneheaded.
I guess that’s where I got the notion that Suicide couldn’t be forgiven. If I killed another person (Not self defense, or family protection, or accident, etc, and I’m sure I’d feel bad about these as well) let’s say I caught my wife sleeping with someone else, and snapped, I can’t imagine how my heart would ache for having taken that life, I feel guilty, and horrible if I hit a squirrel. So I guess I always believed if I approached God with that stain on my soul, having not asked His forgiveness, that would be the one instance when He couldn’t forgive me. Maybe (and this may seem like a naive thought) because life is the most precious gift we’re given, and to throw that gift back at God, and say I didn’t care enough about it to preserve it would be the ultimate betrayal.
I don’t know if any of this makes sense. It’s getting late, and my thoughts start to run together, but I would like to hear your thoughts on this as well.
Thanks again.

[WVKayaker]

In everything, give thanks.For this is the will of God...

He has us right where He knows we should be!!! We are in Good Hands!

Luke 12: 12 Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 3 What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.

4 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

8 “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. 9 But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God. 10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

11 “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”

[cva66snipe]

True and that lesson can take years to understand sometimes. You posted part of Romans ch 8 here's a part further down the chapter.

31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”[a]) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

[markomalley]

>>>>>“Suicide is the only unforgivable sin.”

That’s a roman catholic doctrine. Most Christians do not follow that belief and just see it as yet another sin that Jesus paid the debt for.

Serious question, not mocking

• Do "most Christians" believe that you need to repent of a sin in order to receive forgiveness for the commission of that sin?
• Or do "most Christians" believe that you are automatically forgiven whether you repent of the sin or not?
• Or, alternatively, do "most Christians" believe that once you have been saved that you are not capable of sinning? [meaning that nothing you do will be held to your account or, alternatively, if you do sin, you weren't really saved in the first place]

That's one thing that has always confused me.

[rikkir]

I’m up in the NE part of KY (part of the problem because of the stupid laws around here).
Thank you again for that
I came to realize that my leaving would cause my wife more pain than the care for me ever would, and that was the second thing that brought me back from the cliff.
My problem is not paralyzing it’s damage to 8-9 of the discs, Spinal Stenosis, and Neuropathy, which all piled together cause the symptoms I mentioned. Surgery is not an option because of the location of some of them.
Meds are going to be a part of my life, and have been for almost 10 years now. I have been responsible, and careful, but they are a fact of life for me.
I kept working until 2011 because of the meds, and until I fell down our stairs because of the neuropathy. After I started losing the feelings in my fingers, and finally had to face the fact, asking someone to hire me was impossible.
I guess the biggest depression for me was going from being a productive member of society, to someone who had to have almost total care in less than 3 years, and part of that being because of poor medical care. It didn’t seem there was a way out of the perfect storm I had fallen into.
God does have a plan, and every once in a he slaps me upside the head to remind me of that.
Your story is another of those smacks.
Pretty regularly he reminds me that no matter how bad I think my situation is, there are people out there who have dealt with worse.
Thanks again for the words of encouragement. They do help.
I’m going to fall out as my brain is starting to run thoughts together.

[rikkir]

I have always believed the first of your questions.
I got called pretty hard on that tonight, and it has caused me some consternation.
Keep reading though as I have gotten some really good advice..
‘Night M

[cva66snipe]

A friend of my dad has Neuropathy. It hit after he had just remarried in his mid 70's. The man is an inspiration to me as is his wife. When he isn't injured she is and not from taking care of him but her own issues. They live about 50 miles from me I guess. But yeah I've seen what it can do. My disk are compressing as well. For balance I use a cane now. My dad when he was alive said I did real good for an 82 year old man. His age at that time LOL.

Don't feel bad about the meds my friend. I've taken a Boogie man med called Xanax for over 20 years now. It still works despite what most who didn't understand why I needed it said it wouldn't. Without it I can not leave home nor function. It tones down my sensory system and decreases the seizures.. For back pain I can't handle opiates. Last time in June I went to doc about my back he felt in my upper back and said you're real tense up there. He knew why. A gentle way of saying stress. The Sciatic is a different matter.

I tried to keep working. But I was a maintenance mechanic and checking the boilers was part of my job. A very different type than on the ship. My concentration was going fast and I was screwing up. I was also the Electrician and that required having my thoughts and concentration. My last brain fog episode I called my dad to drive me home and retired that night at the ripe old age of about 35.

The only good part was I had been working lots of overtime. It made my disability benefits a lot higher. I've had many a scrap with Medicare, Tenncare, Medicaid, on my wifes behalf. I was like a pitbull when it come to her needs LOL.

Watch you mood late at night. {I'm a good one too talk}. You get tired and things can get very distorted in the thinking that in the morning don't look so bleak.

[markomalley]

I have always believed the first of your questions.

1 John 1:9-10 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all iniquity. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

I agree with your assertion that unrepented suicide is unforgivable, by the way. But since you were accused of the unforgivable sin of believing some "Catholic" doctrine, let me give you the remainder of it:

• There is always the possibility of the person committing suicide repenting before expiring. If a person jumps, realizing on the way down and screaming for forgiveness. If a person takes poison, regretting the action before succumbing.
• We Catholics believe that there are three conditions that must apply for a sin to be considered a "sin unto death" (see 1 John 5:16):
  • The sin must be objectively grave. I recognize that non-Catholics don't distinguish, but Catholics do. For example, murder is objectively grave...I think we can agree on that. Gluttony isn't...though it can lead to other things which are.
  • The person committing the sin must understand that the sin is, in fact, grave. In a lot of cases, that should be fairly obvious: murder, theft, etc. However, what about a situation where the person has been incorrectly taught by his pastors? For example, there are a lot of churches (I think about the Episcopalians or the Prebyterians (PCUSA)) that have utterly compromised themselves on the subject of sexual sin.
  • The person must freely consent to committing the sin. How would a person not freely consent? An egregious example: suppose a 14 year old girl got herself pregnent and her mother feeds her an RU-486 pill claiming it was something else. Would the 14 year old be guilty of having an abortion? Of course not.
  The point being that unless you know everything about the case (including what was going on within the person's mind), neither you nor I have any right to claim, with absolute confidence, whether suicide would be held to account for a specific person or not. Most Catholics would leave the situation to God's mercy.

[fortheDeclaration]

The sin was forgiven on the Cross over 2,000 years ago.

[fortheDeclaration]

You are suppose to confess your sins to God (1Jn.1:9) so you regain fellowship.

You sin in the flesh and the flesh is judged.

The eternal price for the sin has been paid for.

[fortheDeclaration]

Amen!

[fortheDeclaration]

You are missing grace.

God will punish a believer in time for sinning, including ending his life, but he cannot lose his salvation.