Is God Teaching America Thru the TLC Channel (Duggars/John & Kate)?

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Maybe this is a bit off topic, but I thought I would bring it up-

The Duggars seem to have a wonderful family and relationship with God.

Jon and Kate have issues.

But I think both familes need to be much more private. I would NEVER broadcast my families every day like that. In fact, I think you could argue that it killed Jon and Kate’s marriage (but from what little I’ve seen of them, I think they’re both deeply troubled people)
 
The thing about the Duggars that makes it hard is that they have a WHOLE LOT of nice things. They have a gigantic house, a playroom. Even for 20 people the house is just enormous. For most of the series Jon & Kate lived fairly simply…the basement playroom/office doubled as the interview room. Their house was on the small side considering that 10 people lived there.

The other thing will stop people from seeing the Dugar/Jon & Kate connection is that the older Dugar children do seem to be unfairly burdened with a young baby when they’re still children themselves. Many people, myself included, find it creepy that all their names start with “J”…as I do any family in which the children are named with the same letter. (or heaven forbid, alphabetically). The last problem is with the girls and the dresses…its culturally out of the norm…and while its sweet most people will find it off-putting, no matter how good the message is.

The other thing is that Jon/Kate’s kids were filmed at the best and worst. The Dugars seem “on” 100% of the time. Even a cranky toddler can usually be soothed.
 
The Duggars house now is huge yes, but did you see the house they lived in before it? It would be the right size for me and my 3 children, and they had 16 (or 17?) there. Ranch 3 br I think 2 bath home. Very modest. They lived there for many years until they saved enough CASH to build the home they live in now themselves. As in, with their hands. It took the whole family I think 3 years to build it.

As for the comparison between the two families, first off the Gosselin’s isn’t use IVF , Kate took clomid to ovulate, she has PCOS and doesn’t ovulate on her own. I think the spacing of the children, or lack of any space has got to be a factor in the stress level. Even Michelle Duggar commented when she was asked her opinion about the Gosselin divorce, said having that many children the same age has got to be extremely difficult, much more than having them even 1.5 or 2 years apart as she typically does.

I feel for the Gosselins, all of them. I wish they’d get off TV and live normal lives.
 
JRKH said:
Well there may certainly be some truth in this. Though I think that the strength and faith of the parents may be able to mitigate much of this.
Think about people like Ron Howard, who grew up in fromt of the camera, but because their parents didn’t let it got o their head, they grew up just fine. Of course there are also examples of the opposite.
In this vein, I need only point to the commercials I have seen for another TV show called “Toddlers and Tierras”. Can anyone say “Child abuse”? how about, “Warped Childhood”. My guess is that your more likely to see a negaive book coming from these kids than you are from one of the Duggers.

As far as it being inconstant with a Christian Ideal, I don’t see it as being any more inconsistant than those on EWTN. They certainly put themselves out there.
While I don’t make a point of whatching the program, I’d certainly rather see a program such as this, with good solid values, than most of the other drivvle on TV.

Peace
James
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I do understand your point, but a couple of things. First of all Ron Howard seems to be better than many in Hollywood, but he’s certain not normal! The other is that the people on EWTN are all adults. And even in shows for children that have kids in them, they are actors. They are not supposedly living their normal life out in front of a TV camera.

I just don’t think that there is enough to justify exposing your minor children to all that and saying this is how life is normally lived. I can see giving an interview or two, possibly even a TV ‘special’, but to put your family out there each week as the modern equivalent of a circus act just doesn’t seem right.

I have never watched “toddlers and tiaras” or any of the tatoo artist, wedding planner, or other strange shows. I have no interest. The beauty pagent circuit is a long standing tradition (especially in the south) and I’ve never agreed with it for teenagers and young women, let along toddlers.

Yes, the tiara girls are likely to grow up with issues. However, I truly don’t think that with all their lives laid out for anyone to see, that the Duggar children or the Goselin children are going to be completely without affect. Even though the Duggars do seem to lead a much more normal life, no life that is on display like that can be completely normal.
 
On the one Duggars show I’ve seen, they ousted their daughter from the family because she was sleeping with her boyfriend.

That turned me off. I don’t see them as examples.
 
mizznicole said:
On the one Duggars show I’ve seen, they ousted their daughter from the family because she was sleeping with her boyfriend.

That turned me off. I don’t see them as examples.
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That was this family the Jeubs, not the Duggars. This family was on the kids by the dozen series. Both have a bunch of kids though:p All the Duggar girls have remained at home.
 
See, I don’t watch those shows. Except for exerpts I’ve seen on the news or commercials.

So I don’t know all the details.

But any family that would let the world know their daughter was sleeping with her boyfriend and oust her on public tv has real boundary issues, a bunch of screws loose, and what a chilling environment to put the other kids in that their sins will be publicized too.

It’s hard enough being a teenager. Being paraded as some model for the country during that time and having your family held up to national scorn, admiration, ridicule or commentary is WRONG.
 
I don’t believe that the means of having the children had anything to do with the outcomes. I’m from the Bible Belt and knew many fundamentalist families with 2/3 kids who were just like the Duggars in all ofther ways. They try to follow the King James Bible pretty much word for word, and it shows in their behavior. Michelle Duggar works hard to be a Proverbs 31 woman, and it shows in the harmony in her family. Kate, on the other hand, worked hard at dominating and controlling her husband. I’ve seen every episode, and I was always struck by how badly she treated him. I personally can’t believe he was able to stay as long as he did.

There are other Christian sextuplet families (the Dilleys and the McCaugheys) who have weathered the storms just fine.
 
Liberanosamalo said:
See, I don’t watch those shows. Except for exerpts I’ve seen on the news or commercials.

So I don’t know all the details.

But any family that would let the world know their daughter was sleeping with her boyfriend and oust her on public tv has real boundary issues, a bunch of screws loose, and what a chilling environment to put the other kids in that their sins will be publicized too.

It’s hard enough being a teenager. Being paraded as some model for the country during that time and having your family held up to national scorn, admiration, ridicule or commentary is WRONG.
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Actually this family had only a single episode special and this particular daughter had been ousted before the show even began. They went into it as a way to explain why she didn’t live at home and their attempts to reconcile. Not saying that’s better or less exploitative but I felt the need to clarify. 😉

The Gosselins used IUI to conceive the sextuplets. They have talked about it on the show. IUI is more invasive than simply taking clomid in order to ovulate properly and it does separate the sexual act from conception entirely.

As to the Duggar’s being “on” all the time, they talk about this in their book and I have read many of the same books that Michele Duggar uses to help her with family management (Homeschooling With a Meek and Quiet Spirit and Managers of Their Chores). These books really emphasize the importance of peace, obedience and order and the Duggars have had many years before television to perfect these practices. They admit that they have not always been perfect but if you understand where they are coming from then their countenance does not seem at all strange or fabricated.

And lastly about the “things”. Yes, it does make life easier for the Duggars in some ways (and they earned virtually all of those things on their own before tv) but as we see with Jon & Kate material comfort does not bring comfort or peace when used contrary to God’s will.
 
I dunno, from what I’ve heard and seen, I just don’t think the Duggar’s are going to end up being a broken TV family. I guess I feel like those parents are equipped to discern and make wise decisions about what is right and God’s will, and I respect their decision. As for putting their private lives up for display - in a way, that is what St. Augustine does in his Confessions. I see many of the saints who wrote extensively drawing attention to the way God acted in their lives and perfected them. The difference is whether they are focusing on themselves, or the way God reveals himself through their own lives, which is of course where they most experience God.

Admittedly, I haven’t seen much of the Duggars, but I’ve always had the impression that their message was more along the lines of, “see how much we are blessed by a glorious God” than “see how awesome we are, and how holy we are”. Time will tell, but for now I am going to assume the best - that they truly wish to serve God, and they want to show off God’s presence through their family rather than their family itself. Plus, I know a lot of people who are truly inspired by the Duggars. Isn’t that a good thing? I hear so many messages from society that kids are too expensive, too much work, that only a weak-willed person gets stuck with lots of kids, that large families are all screwed up. The Duggars seem to be a good, visible example that this isn’t true for everyone. And maybe our society does need that right now.

No words to give to John and Kate. I heard only good about them until the divorce started showing on the horizon. Didn’t they once have a good relationship?
 
As for putting their private lives up for display - in a way, that is what St. Augustine does in his Confessions. I see many of the saints who wrote extensively drawing attention to the way God acted in their lives and perfected them. The difference is whether they are focusing on themselves, or the way God reveals himself through their own lives, which is of course where they most experience God.
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That’s different. Augustine, as an adult, chose to put himself on display. The Dugger kids didn’t really have the opportunity to make that choice because, well, they are kids. I’m just sort of troubled by the morality of the entire situation; there’s something that’s not quite right and offputting about the idea of broadcasting your family life.
 
I don’t watch the Duggars too often, but most of the episodes that I have seen seem to be special occasions, a trip to Washington DC, a trip to San Francisco, I think they went to see Dolly Parton once. And then it seems to be interviews of the family members, mainly Mom and Dad. It doesn’t come across to be too “Truman Show” like.

And I am so very impressed that Mrs. D can get the kid’s names straight…I only have 3 and I mix their names up.😊
 
Yes God is teaching us all to let our sex lives be known to the world, he wants each family to have 20 kids just like the Duggars, or even more.
 
I’ve watched the show and from what I can see the Duggars are using TV as a platform to inspire people and serve as a witness for living a Christian life. I don’t agree with all of the Duggars views of faith, since we are Catholic, but some of what they do has led me to look more deeply into the Church’s teachings and statements on how we should live our life. As a new mother to a daughter I am very interested in teaching her to be a Christian woman and in guiding her to have good relationships. I had good parents, but the secular world had a tremendous influence on me during my teenage and college years. I would like to help her make better decisions during that time. Also, my husband and I, while we believe in NFP, also accept that God may give us a large family. The Duggars have not only succeeded in raising a large, well-mannered family for 20 years, but they also have succeeded in raising children that accept the faith their parents have taught them. Certainly they have something to teach us, and their influence has inspired me to learn more about my own faith.
 
PLAL said:
Do you think God might be teaching America a lesson via these two shows on “The Learning Channel”?

The Duggars practice procreation naturally and leave the decision up to God. They let God naturally space the children. The now have 20 and seem not to have many problems.

John & Kate choose in-vitro fertilization and had 6 kids all at once. Their method was making man-made decisions instead of letting God be the ultimate decider of procreating. This family does not have children naturally spaced and is having all kinds of problems.

What are your thoughts?
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I’m not so sure about this - in all truth, we see what they and TLC want us to see and what will hopefully bring them the highest ratings. I think the Duggars would not do the showif it said anything negative - especially since the father is involved in politics. We’re hearing about the problems between Jon and Kate for that same reason - ratings - the family also ges (I believe this is what I read) $75,000 and episode, so there is quite a bit of push there to give TLC what it wants. Don’t believe everything you see on TV.

God Bless
Rye
AKA Annie
 
I once heard the camera crew talk about the Duggers and they say that they are the same off camera as they are on. You can tell that they have a good relationship with the crew too, in one episode one of the crew members bought his daughters over to play with them and the girls enjoyed being with them so much they didnt want to leave. I admire thier faith in works.
 
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