Most people outside of conservative Christian communities didn’t know who the Duggar Family was, but now their names are plastered all news websites. For readers who still don’t know, this family are the subjects of TLC’s reality television program 19 Children and Counting. Similar to the Robertson family of Duck Dynasty, the Duggars have become celebrities in social conservative circles. Jim Bob and Michelle raised their children under traditional family and Christian values. They belong to the Independent Baptist denomination which has fundamentalist leanings. It’s no surprise their family has gained popularity among religious people who seek alternative role models to those in the secular entertainment industry, at least until controversy arises.
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| Please No White Knights |
A police report from 2006 was leaked to the public about Josh Duggar (eldest son) sexually molesting five young girls between 2002-2003. On May 21st 2015, Josh admitted that to these acts, but his family asserts that he has moved beyond his problem. There will be an interview with Megyn Kelly on Wednesday (June 3, 2015) to shed more light on these events. Of course this news had a devastating effect on the Duggar’s future. Executives at TLC are weighing their options: whether to continue the show or cancel it. Either way, the Duggar’s television future is uncertain.
Hypocrisy follows the famous like buzzards follow the dying. Not one day goes by without a famous person not walking their talk and not surprisingly the Duggars have fallen into this trap. Along with the 2006 report, additional information emerged stating Jim Bob and Michelle waited more than a year before reporting Josh’s action to the police. They waited long enough that statue of limitation kept Josh free from any legal consequences.
We have come to crux my issue with this situation. Prominent social conservative figures, like Mike Huckabee, have come forward to defend this family; yet, they haven’t done anything worth defending in regards to this specific circumstance. Josh’s father-in-law wrote a rather nice blog post about why we all should dismiss this news, but it’s not that simple. The Duggar family has built their fame and fortune on promoting Christian values. Part of walking one’s talk is transparency and honesty. Scripture prioritizes public confession of sin (1 John 1:9, James 5:16, Proverbs 28:13) and receiving consequences for one’s actions. Josh did not openly confess this sin before taking his position at the Family Research Council. Jim Bob and Michelle did not handle that situation properly.
Authorities should have been contacted in close proximity to Josh’s repeat offense. If he only did it once, then their actions would be understandable, but he molested girls on five separate occasions. They hid this information away, probably trying to avoid legal consequences (my own opinion). They should be rebuked for this, not defended. A fourteen year old boy has enough understanding to know that touching young girls is wrong. Humans are sinful and Christians should readily forgive, however, avoiding consequences is another matter entirely.
I can’t help but think the emergence of support for the Duggars and Fox New’s silence on this scandal stem from the family’s connections. Their wealth and finical endorsement of many Conservative organizations and candidates give them a special status. Christians and other conservative folk, stop trying to downplay this incident. People were hurt and a molester escaped punishment. Josh’s past and his family’s involvement should not be blithely dismissed. To his credit, he has stepped down from his position. The Duggars hid a skeleton in their closest and someone found it. Whatever happens to them now, then brought it upon themselves. This what hypocrisy looks like.
On a final note, this post is harsh. Non-Christians look at scandals like this and think, “This proves that Christians don’t really follow their teachings.” That’s problematic to our witness. If the Duggars were honest about this incident before they were famous, then I wouldn’t be critical of them. For extra clarification: I would be content with how they handled the situation regarding Josh. Under no circumstances do I or any rational person endorse child molestation. This information was reluctantly forced from their hands. Instead of blindly defending their actions, let’s learn a lesson from this scandal. We should walk our talk (God’s commandments) and when we don’t: let’s honest and upfront about our sins.
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