Josh Duggar resigns from Family Research Council after sexual abuse allegations

[Julie Anne]

My sons are 6 and 2. I don’t go around telling them about molestation. Do you?

As a matter of fact, I do, in simple language that they can understand. We have a family member who is a self-admitted pedophile. We know of 20 boys he molested in the States. We know of a few people he molested on the mission field, but who knows the real number.

If our boys are spending any length of time away from parents, I give them the spiel. They are not allowed to go to public restrooms by themselves and must have a sibling with them. They also know the code sentence that we have gone over many times so that they can call home and get picked up immediately with no questions asked until they are in a safe place. They also know that most abuse occurs with people they know and trust, not a “stranger.”

So, yes, my 5 boys know about sex abuse. They know about safe touch and inappropriate touch. They know that if they ever feel uncomfortable in any situation, they can call and they will be removed from that environment. There is no fool-proof way of protecting our children, but I believe I have done the best to educate my children and warn them of the dangers and what they can do to get themselves out of potentially abusive situations.

[Mark_Smith]

Let’s say Josh had been investigated before the statute of limitations expired. Let’s say he served a year. Let’s say we were just now finding out about it (ie they hadn’t mentioned it until now). Do you think TLC would not have dropped the show? Do you think the world would not still write “Josh Duggar is a convicted child molester” stories?

Mark, those are good questions that none of us really know the answer. However, there was not much exercising of discernment by the Duggars in this situation. In fact, If Josh had gone to a juvi home for a year, there might not have even been a show because it would have tarnished the family’s squeaky clean image. However–hypothetically, lets imagine that TLC still went with the show and lets also imagine that Josh Duggar had done time for a year in Juvi as a 14 year old, paying for his child-on-child fondling misdemeanor crime because all of the authority figures (Jim Bob, the church, and the police) did what they were supposed to do (report the crime immediately, connect Josh with Christian counseling-not Bill Gothard cultic moralism). And lets all imagine that several years later it was discovered and plastered all over the social media world. Yes there would be some that would label him a child molester, yet the media, social media, and the rest of society would not be faulting Jim Bob Duggar, their church, and the police for covering up the crime and showing such little regard for the victims. I saw one story by USA today that cited reputable studies which show that some 90% of child-on-child abusers do not become repeat offenders. That fact has been completely overshadowed by the drama of the cover up that the Duggar family, police, and church participated in. Also, the message of forgiveness, and transformation through Christ in Josh’s life will never be given a fair hearing because the cover up calls into question the honesty and integrity of the authority figures (Jim Bob, police, and church) who protected Josh while revealing their dark side which not only failed to protect the innocent victims of Josh, but rather thwarted justice for these innocent victims of this crime that he committed.

Previous comment was made before I realized that there were 3 pages of comments. LOL
As to the question about why a police report on a minor was made public…. I think what may play into that report being able to be released is that he was 18 when that report was made. (ie. no longer able to have the protection as a minor) Had the investigation taken place at the time of the offenses I am betting it would never have seen the light of day.

to educate their kids because the schools are godless, etc… are more than happy to without a shred of doubt turn their 14 year old over to the juvenile justice system and juvenile social services system. All to get “justice” for their daughters… who, by the way, will than likely be taken out of the home as well so they can be “evaluated and treated”.

OK.

Have a great Memorial Day everybody.

This thread has devolved into personal attacks, gossip, and assuming the worst without facts. Even in disagreement, SI use to operate to a higher standard. Unless the moderators start stepping in, then SI will become just another blog.

You said: “Mark is obviously a big home schooler who would most likely look down in judgment of me or any other christian sending their children to public school. “

Sorry Joeb, my kids go to public school and I teach physics at a secular public university! GASP!!!!!!!!!!

jimcarwest said:

I agree that a crime should be reported to the police, but probably few parents consider the curiosity that goes on among siblings about sexual matters a crime that should warrant years in prison for their children.

This was no “curiosity.” This was an older brother who woke up his siblings in the middle of the night while they were sleeping. It was not consensual. So you are questioning whether it should be reported because you’re worried about the consequences of the offender, yet where is the consideration for the victims who live in the same house? While you are debating what to do, they are going to bed each night wondering if tonight is going to be the night that their brother touches them in places where he ought not. And also keep in mind that in this home, girls are taught to obey older brothers/fathers/men in general. Also, they are taught from Gothard’s materials that if they are sexually abused, they are to look at themselves and see what they might have done to cause their brother to stumble (unconfessed sin, dressed immodestly, etc). So it might be a challenge for them to say no or even tell the parents because of the heavy emphasis on submission to males or their own guilt, based on Gothard’s ridiculous teaching materials on sexual abuse. This should have been reported, period. Let the civil authorities investigate with their trained experts. This is the civil system in which God ordained as per Romans 13:1-5.

[Mark_Smith]

JimBob is not a pastor.

Does anyone know if this is accurate? JimBob and his family practice family-integrated church with other families. In these churches, an elder is just another name for pastor. Scott Brown is an elder/pastor. Doug Phillips was an elder/pastor - both in family-integrated churches. (Doug now goes to a traditional pastor-led church.)

I admit I don’t know if JimBob is an elder in a family-integrated church. What I meant was that people were making a comparison with JimBob and a “normal” Baptist church of the type a typical SI pastor has. He certainly is not that. What happened in the Duggar family is not the same as happening under your watch as a pastor at XYZ Baptist Church during Sunday School.

Can someone tell me why people who despise the public education system so much that they create private Christian schools and homeschool, etc, are so enamored and trustful in the juvenile justice system and the social workers system?

By this I mean to you trust the juvenile system to protect your 14 year old son in incarceration from being raped himself? Or being filled with humanist ideas? Or introduced to drugs? Or getting too close to “real” hardened juvenile criminals?

Also, your daughters who were abused will face counseling by humanist psychologists and social workers… does that sound good to you? Maybe they will declare you an unfit parent for allowing this crime to happen and rip the girls away from you? It has happened before.

I’m not seeing what you’re seeing, Mark. I see those who do not like public school system tend to also distrust civil justice system.

But here’s an interesting case - a large homeschooling family with incest and rape. Parents failed to report and are going to prison (along with the abusing sons): http://wavy.com/2015/05/21/4-brothers-plead-guilty-in-rape-incest-case/

As far as I am concerned, I am no longer convinced that there was true repentance. Here is something I wrote elsewhere:

I think we need to revisit this repentance thing that Josh Duggar and his parents claimed happened after the sex abuse of 5 minors came to light. Think about it. What does repentance look like? Repentance is about giving up your rights. It’s about focusing on the healing/recovery of those you have harmed. You don’t defend yourself anymore. Duggar parents claimed that there was forgiveness and repentance and they all got closer as a family and to God,

So, tell me, does repentance look like this: 19 year old Josh Duggar sued Arkansas Department of Human Services because they were investigating his abuses.

A repentant person would accept any and all consequences related to their sin/crime. I do not see the fruit of repentance in Josh Duggar in suing Arkansas DHS,