By now you’ve probably heard about the scandalous revelation that Josh Duggar, the oldest child of the Duggar clan, has admitted to molesting five underage girls when he was a teenager. At least some of these girls were his sisters.
The Duggar cult has gotten a lot of flack about how they handled the incident, and what they did clearly indicates that they didn’t think it was a very big deal.
Now, Josh was 14-15 when he molested the girls, which means he was just a child himself, but definitely old enough to know better. Plus, it’s worth noting that molesting your younger sisters is not at all a normal part of a boy’s sexual development.
According to reports, Josh didn’t seem to face many consequences as a result of his actions, and his parents waited a year after they learned about the molestation before they did anything about it. He did get a talkin’ to by a sheriff who was a friend of the family. (Said sheriff was later arrested on child-pornography charges.) And then the parents sent Josh away to stay with a family friend. It’s unclear what kind of counseling he received — like if he actually saw someone with, say, a master’s degree in psychology and social work, or if he just prayed about it with a family friend.
Nor is it clear what kind of counseling his sisters or any of the other girls he violated received. The Duggars have been pretty quiet about what they’ve done, if anything, to provide support for the victims here. Instead, Josh is on display as the victim. Not, say, the girl whose “breasts and genitals” he touched “while she slept.”
But he’s said he’s sorry now.
Josh told People magazine, “Twelve years ago, as a young teenager, I acted inexcusably, for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret. I hurt others, including my family and close friends. I confessed this to my parents, who took several steps to help me address the situation. We spoke with the authorities where I confessed my wrongdoing, and my parents arranged for me and those affected by my actions to receive counseling. I understood that if I continued down this wrong road that I would end up ruining my life.”
Ah, yes. Clearly he’s repented and is doing the Lord’s work, making sure it’s A-OK to discriminate against those perverted homosexuals, at the Family Research Council, an organization that advances hatred masquerading as Christian values. Or at least he did, until he resigned in the wake of the scandal. A life well spent.
Josh’s parents, Jim Bob and Michelle, told People, “When Josh was a young teenager, he made some very bad mistakes, and we were shocked. We had tried to teach him right from wrong. That dark and difficult time caused us to seek God like never before.”
Remember that Josh is the first-born son to this man and woman who believe it’s their God-given destiny to produce as many children as possible (19 and counting!). And they are teaching those children their values: that homosexuals are morally reprehensible. And molesting your little sisters is apparently just a little mistake best kept in the family.