I agree that the Duggar family is a bit creepy and having made what is probably millions selling the family its not surprising the interest now. I about gagged though when I heard just a tiny bit before I turned off the TV from Whoopie Goldberg who has killed 6 of her babies lecturing the family.
But as far as the big families in my family tree, I was counting those who reached adulthood. Most recently, my grandmother who was born in 1888 was one of five out of eight who reached adulthood and then her older brother died of sepsis after having a tooth pulled. So four out of eight, born either in north Texas or Indian Territory. Hard life.
That’s a 30% death rate...and she was fortunate... there were many families who had higher rates of death.
As for Dugggar’s your watching what it looks like to be under the sway of cult teachings...Why everything appears so scripted...and why their relationships are what they are.
Their life is a “Performance/Image based and Fear based” religion which is legalistic to the extreme....and because the indoctrination is so subtle, as with most cult’s going in, the family “beleives” what they’re practicing and saying even if their heart might tell them otherwise. The teachings “trap them” from critical thinking of their own.