So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. (John 8:7)
This week the story grabbing the headlines exposes the past sins that of Josh Duggar, eldest son of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar of “19 Kids and Counting.” Josh resigned as Executive Director of the FRC Action, an arm of the Family Research Council, after previously sealed court records were exposed by “In Touch Weekly” magazine. The records contained several incidents of molestation when Josh was between 14 and 15 years of age. It is not clear how many “victims” were involved from news reports, but his two oldest sisters (younger than Josh) were definitely two of those molested.
I watched an hour-long interview with the parents, Jim Bob and Michelle, by Megan Kelly of Fox News Channel, and their explanation seemed reasonable to me. First of all, let us not forget that at the time of the incidents, Josh was a pubescent boy full of raging hormones. I dare any man to deny what that is like. That aside, what Josh did was wrong. No one denies that. In fact, according to the Duggars, the boy, riddled with guilt over his actions, confessed his deeds to his parents even though they and his “victims” would have been none the wiser, if he had kept his mouth shut. At this point let me interject that from the Fall of man, God expects and waits for man to confess his sin and ask for forgiveness. That truth is evident throughout the Bible. That is exactly what Josh did. He confessed, repented and asked forgiveness of God, his parents and his sisters. But, hormones being what they are, Josh repeated the offense on other occasions prompting the family to seek counsel. (By the way, per the Duggars, the molestation amounted to inappropriate touching above the clothing while the “victims” were asleep and unaware of what was happening.) Eventually, Josh turned himself over to law enforcement, and had professional counseling. After that, there were no other incidents reported.
Personally, I do not understand why a family would put themselves on display like they do on their television show – to each his own – but in that position, especially since they promote Christian family values, they have set themselves up for a direct demonic assault. And that is exactly what they have gotten this week. The God haters are calling them hypocrites because they speak out against the LGBT movement while hiding their own “dirty little secret.”
The “left” excels in redefining words, which to me makes them illiterate and not quite as intelligent as they pretend. A hypocrite is someone who is one thing, but pretends to be another. Let us apply that definition to the Duggars. Megan Kelly asked the couple, having this “skeleton” in the closet, why would they not disclose that before going on with the show? They responded that the problem had been resolved five years prior to the show starting. Josh had confessed, had been forgiven, and truly repented (turned away) from his sin. It was over and done – water under the bridge. No one, seriously, no one dredges up past family problems that have been resolved – no one. Does that make one a hypocrite? Now, since these media dumpster divers found the dirt (which should never have been released to media) the Duggars are forced to discuss it. That is exactly what they have done openly and transparently. They do not make excuses for Josh’s behavior as an adolescent. They confess that his actions were sinful. They admit they may have made some errors in judgment in the handling of the offense, but, like for any parent, our kids do not come with an instruction manual. A parent can only do the best they can. By the way, there are some that admit that, given the circumstances, the Duggars actually did a very commendable job at taking care of the problem. So, in embarking on the “reality” show, “19 Kids and Counting” they entered the endeavor with a clear conscience. There is no hypocrisy in that.
The true hypocrites are the voices shouting, “Stone them!” for exposing sin for what it is. They wish to silence the voices of those who oppose their sinful and depraved lifestyles, yet they claim the freedom to spew their filth over all society. These are the hypocrites. The Duggars, when they speak out against abortion and same-sex marriage, do not make personal attacks; they do not name names. The God haters have not made a general charge against Christians, or Christian beliefs; they have made their attack personal. These are the hypocrites. They are not without sin, and they should not cast stones.
The Duggar family needs our prayers.
Ernie's Musings 