In May 2015 it became public that when Duggar was between the ages of 14 and 15 years old, he molested five girls, some of whom were his sisters. The abuse consisted of fondling their breast and genital regions while they were asleep and sometimes while awake according to a police report obtained by the magazine In Touch Weekly, in which Jim Bob Duggar reported to Arkansas State Police that in 2002 Josh Duggar had molested the girls, Jim Bob told police that he had enrolled Josh in a program consisting of physical labor, but it was later revealed that Josh had been sent to stay away from home to work for a family friend in the home remodeling business instead.
I myself have never watched The Duggar’s but I have read articles here and there about them. I have heard some things about their faith and whether or not that stuff is true I haven’t formed an opinion about their family and the show. But when this particular issue came to light a few days ago, I wasn’t pleased. I thought they had good intentions about waiting to kiss until they were pronounced married, a supervised courtship, modest dress, homeschooling, much like myself and my anabaptist brethren do, but I began to see things unravel when pictures of certain “non-Christian” things began to pop up on Instagram and on Yahoo articles. I am so passionate about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I know that we all are not perfect, but I don’t expect intentional things like that to happen. Did Josh Duggar do this intentionally or did he have no control over his actions? I don’t think we will ever know this answer.
I am passionate about the Truth of the God’s Holy Word and I desire to see others to come to know and understand and follow that Truth. I myself am a believer in following everything single principal of the bible. Not picking and choosing which parts of the bible suit me best. The Duggar’s started out emulating following all precepts of the bible. People loved that and hailed them. Then the failings started to happen. Cracks began to form as the elder Duggar’s began to leave the home.
Sin is sin. Molestation is molestation. There is no redefining it, explaining it away, or excusing it. There is no undoing the physical, emotional, or psychological damage of it. God would never do that, so why should we do that for The Duggar’s? Or why should they do that? Abuse is sin. It doesn’t matter if it’s physical, emotional, verbal, sexual, or spiritual; it is all sin. Titus 2:4 says we are to love our children. In addition, there is a principle found in Jesus’ words about children. Jesus used a child to teach His disciples that childlike faith is necessary for entrance into the kingdom of heaven. At the same time, He said that the Father has concern for all of His “little ones” (Matthew 18:1–14). In that passage, Jesus says, “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matthew 18:10, KJV). The word offend in the Greek means “to cause one to stumble, to put a stumbling block or impediment in the way, upon which another may trip and fall, to entice to sin, or to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey.”
These definitions of the word ‘offend’ can easily be applied to the actions of a pedophile. Of course, the principle of not harming a child can be applied to a wide range of child-abusive actions, and Matthew 18:10 make the case against anyone who would bring any type of harm to a child. In the New Testament we find similar passages. Romans 1, specifically talks against sexual sin as ‘against nature’.
Here is another scripture to consider and reflect over in regards to this. “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”(1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
Some of the reactions I have heard over this scandal have been mixed. Two of the most popular ones are grief and others are casting stones. I don’t think there is any need for either of them. “He who is without sin may cast the first stone.” Am I without sin? No. Are you no? No. I am not perfect. Nor are you or Josh Duggar anywhere near perfection. Am I grieving over this? No. There are a few reasons why. One, I am obviously not a fan. Two, I am not buying into the media hype. Three, there isn’t a reason to grieve over this.
I am though, hating the sin, not the sinner. I love our brothers and sisters in Christ. God has called us to do this. Each and every Christian is commanded to do this. I am praying that Josh Duggar will get the help that he needs to overcome the sin. I am praying that he learns from this and him and his family heals from this. I am praying that his victims also heal from this horrid event. And I am praying that this never, ever happens again. I think we should all do this. This is the best, most appropriate reaction to this situation. I think the fact that Josh Duggar has been open and honest about the whole affair has been a great start in his way of seeking forgiveness from the Lord. I hope and pray he continues on that path to seek healing and forgiveness from his sisters and the other young ladies he molested.
How do you feel about Josh Duggar and what he did? Do you think we should pray for forgiveness of his sin? What has the tone of the other articles have you been reading? Have they been negative or positive? Do you or have you watched 19 Kids and Counting? Please keep the conversation going and leave your comments below. I would love to hear your thoughts on this unfortunate and grave issue.
See you next time!
The Backwater Primer 