Editing Gordon Jump (section)

== Inspiration and Spirituality ==
Jump believed the film and television industry to be "the most powerful tool" that can "communicate" and "give... a positive outlook of life to many people."<ref name=":0">{{cite archive
|first=Gordon
|last=Jump
|item-url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCcmCXctipo
|type=interview transcript
|item-id=MSS OH 466
|date=1981 October 16
|page=
|pages=
|collection=Gordon Jump oral history interview
|collection-url=https://search.lib.byu.edu/byu/record/cat.668215.item.668215-1001?holding=knj9y8w28flbjms0
|institution=Brigham Young University
|location=Provo, Utah
}}</ref>{{rp|1}} According to his personal religious faith, he also believed theatre and television had the ability to uplift and edify individuals and felt that God uses a similar medium to guide his children.<ref name=":0" />{{rp|1}}

When scripts required Jump to act in ways that went against his religious convictions, he said that his acting required the same "honesty and judiciousness" as the rest of his life.<ref name=":0" />{{rp|5}} He portrayed the fictional character as accurately as possible to deliver an honest representation of the story to his audience. He warned against portraying all theatrical characters like "missionaries", and instead encouraged actors to "stay true to their craft", through which their inner virtue would shine through.<ref name=":0" />{{rp|7, 11}} Additionally, Jump did not believe in [[censorship]], claiming that "if you teach people correct principles, they can govern themselves", which is a paraphrase of a teaching by [[Joseph Smith]].''<ref name=":2" />''{{rp|95}}<ref>{{cite news |last1=News |first1=Deseret |title='TEACH THEM CORRECT PRINCIPLES': GOSPEL INFLUENCES LIFE, OUTLOOK OF FRESHMAN MEMBER OF CONGRESS |url=https://www.deseret.com/1993/1/23/20765272/teach-them-correct-principles-gospel-influences-life-outlook-of-freshman-member-of-congress |access-date=24 February 2022 |work=Deseret News |date=23 January 1993 |language=en}}</ref>

When Jump was offered the role of Chief Tinkler in ''[[Soap (TV series)|Soap]]'', he and the LDS Church [[Bishop (LDS Church)|bishop]] of his church were wary that the content of the program was contrary to his faith. Jump returned to the producers the next day with the intention of refusing the role. The directors heard his concerns and suggested that the underlying messages of the show were more aligned to his beliefs as a Latter-day Saint than he realized; he was encouraged to read the "retribution scenes" in the script. Impressed by the depth of the lessons told through humor,<ref name=":0" />{{rp|8}} Jump took the role in ''Soap'' and recommended that viewers of faith evaluate the lessons taught by the finished artistic product of a film or show rather than evaluate whether an actor would actually do some of the things which they portray on screen.<ref name=":0" />{{rp|7}}