Posted on 06/03/2015 8:34:42 PM PDT by Mozilla
Fox News’ Megyn Kelly finally aired her big, much-anticipated interview with Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, in which they opened up about their son Josh Duggar‘s public confession that he molested several young girls, including his own sisters, when he was a teenager.
The first time it happened, they explained, was when their son came to them, crying and saying he had touched his young sisters when they were asleep. Michelle Duggar said, “We had one ray of hope in that Josh had a tender conscience.”
There were more instances afterwards, Jim Bob Duggar said, in which their son had inappropriately touched his sisters over their clothes and “a couple of instances where he touched them under their clothes, but it was like a few seconds.” And, as he noted, his son’s victims didn’t seem to understand what had happened to them until it was subsequently explained to them.
They got very emotional as they spoke to Duggar about how they felt they failed as parents and how they came to the decision to send their son Josh to get therapy. Later on, Kelly brought up 19 Kids and Counting––which has been pulled but not cancelled by TLC––and asked, “What would make you launch a reality TV show about your family, given this past?” Jim Bob Duggar said they weren’t worried because the records were sealed and they had dealt with all this years ago.
(Excerpt) Read more at mediaite.com ...
Wow...I sure hit a nerve. Your emotional investment in the Duggars is down right scary, and on a public forum “discussion” is encouraged...NOT vindictive accusations, moats in eyes and whatever other sundry offenses you seemed to toss my way.
The Duggars felt fairly confident, approx 4 plus years AFTER Josh’s “problem” to sign a contract and swing the doors open on their family life to reality TV. They negotiated and accepted contractual terms to show their family interactions (including more than a dozen minor aged children) on TV (w/hours of edits stored by production staff). They did so knowing that there was a paper trail (though sealed) of what had occurred. Rather than acting cautiously (maybe reality TV isn’t a good idea given what the family has been thru?) they forged ahead. You can sugar coat “supporting” their family as the reason for their reality show decision, but privacy and the mental/emotional health of their children should have been paramount. And now, two of the victims (Jessa and Jill) are coming forward to discuss what happened to them and to protect their brother and parents BAD decision making.
In any of your rants, have you thought of the girls/young women/now wives who have to relive this now FOR THE MEDIA because they were MADE to live their lives in the glare of the media by the very parents who didn’t protect them from their own brother. And people “critical” of this mess are considered the problem by you (and sadly others) on FR?!?
Well, in my case, I hope not, because I am one. But the Duggars are cultists, through and through. Their beliefs are drawn from the teachings of the Bill Gothard cult (himself forced to step down from his "ministry" due to allegations of sexual abuse & harassment of 34 young girls).
Gothardist women are made to cover up from neck to feet. That's Islamic in its misplaced zeal. The little girls have to wear skirts, even when playing outside, riding bikes, etc. Women are told how long to wear their hair, etc.
Gothard's material for counseling of sex abusers is all over the web. It places a considerable degree of responsibility for the abuse on the victim..."were you insufficiently modest? What could you have done differently?" I have to wonder what immodesty was committed by the five year-old sister Josh felt up...
“Repressed” takes on a whole new meaning with the Duggars (and Gothardists in general). The Duggar females have a code word they use when they are out as a family and they encounter a woman. One of them will whisper the code word to the males, so that they can drop their eyes to the ground and avoid being “tempted.”
Also unlike most of you I had the misfortune not to have been able to bear children so when I see shows about big happy families with lots of cute kids, I am drawn in.
So your premise that they jumped at the chance to do they show so they could make money off their kids is way off base. There were numerous families. There have been several of these shows over the years. The Duggars caught on somewhat more than some of the others.
Also, I see a lot of sanctimony here. Most of you may be shocked to know that your children are not perfect angels when you are not around. I worked with Jr. High kids for years, tales I could tell would curl your hair. Fortunately most of them grow out of it and go on to live productive and healthy lives. Like Josh was trying to do.
I don't suspect that every Duggar kid is a perfect angel either, kids screw up, they make mistakes, they are corrected and yes even PROTECTED by their parents. The bias some ascribe to them for being about the money is not knowable. They agreed to do it because they felt it was a way to minister to other families. Other families that apparently will understand the trial, tribulations and joys of being responsible for so many of God's creations! That they have been able to make money and given their children more opportunities then they might have otherwise is to the better, I think.
For all the pontificating on here hardly anyone will admit to watching the show or the interview. I watched the interview. They were as sincere as I have ever seen them. I believe that they did their best. Josh after all is their oldest child. They have learned that even "good" children can and do fail. Now some 12 years after the fact I am willing to bet my house they are far more aware of what teenagers are capable of.
They are members of a cult——not actual christians
The problem is sicko Josh who should be a registered sex offender. Maybe you should focus on that.
Now I am not a Protestant so I really don't know how prevalent that sort of thing is, but I do know that once upon a time this was a free country and people were allowed to worship in any way they pleased. They were also allowed to raise their children the way they saw fit. Free Republic used to stand for freedom. Not so sure anymore that that is the case.
I'm surprised you bring up the issue of religious freedom. Who here is trying to force the Duggars to worship differently? How would we even begin to go about that?
We have our religious freedom, but we also have freedom of speech, which means we're free to criticize and opine if we see fit.
Defconw, repeatedly feeling up the privates of your sisters-—even a five year-old-—doesn’t fit the definition of “mistakes.”
There are a few FReepers prior to you, but I want to thank you for completely covering everything I have been thinking about this family, Michelle and Jim Bob and the current witch hunt.
TLC will regret dropping the Duggars, and I pray that this family and other Christians with TLC will depart the network to begin a brand new one where liberals will have zero say. Frankly, I’d rather have my family watch people dress overly-clothed by society’s standards than have them look at narcissistic trashians and their un-God-given, surgically-altered & enhanced bosoms, trunks and otherwise.
Furthermore, I fully believe we will see the Duggars donate whatever is given to them from the release of sealed juvenile records. I’d be very surprised if Jim Bob and Michelle don’t donate the money to a victim’s fund for children.
And I completely agree - this whole tabloid feast is against Christians which nicely aligns with the agenda of our highjacked America.
That’s weird ...Annette’s code words when she and I see a beautiful girl woman lady is “down boy “
A nice way of warning me to enjoy Gods creations visually up to a point
My wife and her instinct picked up on oddities way back while our 12 year old found the show interesting
I confess I do not know about Gothard family philosophy
This is first I’ve heard of it
And the abuse in a lot of families talk
I turned to Annette and said how many girls do you know who were abused?
And we’re old as u know
She said no one but her uncle did used to hug kinda intrusive ...I saw it myself ...dirty old man but real molestation she didn’t know anyone personally
Me....I knew a few who claimed to have been groped but pushed back. A relative was the culprit
I don’t believe Duggars it happens a lot nor Megyns gurl grievance claim of one in five and like I said a homosexual molestation is more prevalent by far in proportion
I get no pleasure dumping on fellow Christ believers but my sensors like yours are getting tells
They publicized what they knew to be sealed information. They also have very deep pockets. $2.6 billion deep per year.
I predict around fifty million dollar suite with a ten to fifteen million dollar SEALED settlement.
When you start adding up the loss of wages, prestige, future earnings, revenue from all sorts of appearances and future advertising deals, they are in a deep hole and would be lucky if the family decided to settle for less than fifty million.
Don’t forget TLC is probably losing its’ ass as well. Don’t think their lawyers don’t want a piece of the action. They want new boats as well.
I had a roomie in college who was molested by her 10yrs older brother, beginning when she was 4 or 5.
Family was the opposite of fundy, Christmas/Easter mainline proddie (whiskeypalians).
Brother went to high school, socialized with other kids and had all the ‘socialization’ you’d expect of a teen in the 70’s.
My friend went to public school, K-12.
The idea that if the Duggar daughters had gone to regular school this wouldn’t have happened is farcical.
These weren’t repressed, isolated kids by any stretch of the imagination.
When my roomie told her mother that her brother was ‘hurting’ her at night her mom called her a liar. This persisted for years until she reached puberty and began menstruating. Then her mom put a lock on her bedroom door to which mom put a key on a chain around her neck. Instructed her to lock it every single night and not get up to go to the bathroom until mom was awake.
(creepy).
At the time she figured her mom finally believed her. Later on she realized mom was more concerned about explaining a pregnant 12 or 13yr old.
Nothing ever happened to the brother regarding what he did to his sister.
In fact, when my roomie was 22 or 23 she entered professional counseling for all her issues (addiction to alcohol, excessive promiscuity, etc) and told her mother. Mom and dad promptly disowned her. The will left her $1. In the state of MS that’s what you have to leave when you disown a child from what I’ve been told.
At the time, when we were in college in the late 80’s/early 90’s, none of our group really believed her entire story. It was outlandish, especially the part about her mom. We later found out she was telling the truth...
...the wheels of justice grind slowly but exceedingly fine. Brother got married and had a couple kids including at least one girl.
His wife caught him having full out sex with their 8yr old daughter.
He’s now a guest of the correctional facility at Parchman.
Forever, as far as he’s concerned.
“You cannot tell me those Duggars are in any way mainstream Protestant”
Well that is certain.
Main stream Protestants are more and more OK with contraception, abortion, homosexuality, homosexual marriage, divorce and remarriage, and a whole slew of activities that less than 100 years ago where considered serious sins by every Protestant denomination. Now if you go to a Protestant Church that doesn’t have an active gay minister who is overseen by a lesbian bishop, you are the weirdo.
Of course if you are a main stream Protestant and actually attend a church more than twice a year or even worse once a month you are considered an extreme religious nut case by a majority of other members of your church. Probably by the pastor as well.
Having large families, holding worship services in your home, praying at home as a family and keeping a close knit family was standard operating for most people, particularly Americans, as little as fifty years ago.
As for being in a cult. Possibly, but is that so terrible?
Based on the present situation in mainstream churches, even so much with the problems in the Catholic Church and the new not so Catholic Pope, I would say they are doing allot better than many ‘religious’ members of the mainstream churches who schedule their daughters’ abortion as to not interfere with the big gay wedding for Uncle Tom, who used to be called Aunt Tammy before she ‘found’ herself.
Well somebody forgot to tell In Touch.They just printed another article yesterday.
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Just curious, what part of their ideology do you disagree with? Their pro-life views, or opposition to same-sex "marriage"?
I disagree with anyone trying to legislate their religion. Christian, Muslim, whatever.
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Hmm...not sure what you mean. Can you please be more specific?
Do you think abortion should be legal in all instances?
Do you think same-sex "marriage" should be legal?
Your posts to me have been nonsensical. What are you even talking about, "used to shut down discussion?"
Your implication was that criticizing the Duggars somehow infringes on their religious freedom. I responded thusly:
"We have our religious freedom, but we also have freedom of speech, which means we're free to criticize and opine if we see fit. "
So do you want to show me where I tried to shut down your side of the discussion? Specifically.
" I just am glad that I belong to a religion that allows mistakes (yes even crimes) and we are allowed to continue in our Church. "
Once again, who is trying to force the Duggars out of their chosen faith? How could that even be accomplished? More nonsense.
"Also glad that it precludes me from having to be judged by any congregation."
Biblically, churches are instructed to discipline members who repeatedly engage in sin. Do you know better than the Bible?
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