The Duggars Respond to Reports That Josh Duggar Was Accused of Child Molestation

[Faith1960]

I doubt it. I don’t think many 14 year olds are tried on felony assault charges for groping
their sisters . I Also think he the idea they sought a “dirty” cop to cover things up was is rather spacious in that if they wanted to cover it up they wouldn’t went the police in the first place. What He did was terrible but it appears from the story his parents didn’t ignore it , tried to get him and his sisterjs help and reported it to the police . I am curious as what people think should’ve been done to him?

Good question.

 

[InigoMontoya]

Technically, life isn’t fair. TLC also canceled Honey Boo-boo because of sex abuse. It would be wrong to cancel one show and not the other.

+1

Besides, when you ‘choose’ to become a public figure you acknowledge that your lives will be more examined than others and that your opportunities will be affected by popular opinion. Besides, blaming TLC is ignoring the real perpetrator.

 

[InigoMontoya]

I don’t think many 14 year olds are tried on felony assault charges for groping their sisters.

I am curious as what people think should’ve been done to him?

You would be surprised, volunteer at a juvenile facility or spend time in juvenile court. There are people in prison for less.

From what little that I know, I am in disbelief that he wasn’t removed from the home by CPS for his sisters protection and recovery, added to a minor sex offender list, and prosecuted.

 

[agnes_therese]

I’ve got to say that I never really considered their show “junk.” It was one of the only programs that I could watch with my 7-year-old without much worry regarding its content. I really do believe that some aspects of their family life are laudable. That said, I don’t know how I would go back to watching their show if it returns to the air.

Oops, I wasn’t clear. By “junk,” I meant all the gossip about these reality shows. It’s very hard to escape.

Didn’t mean to accuse you of watching junk, sorry.

 

[SAVINGRACE]

This is not correct.
One of the girls went to the parents and told them what was happening.
During their interviews with police, they seem to have memory of the “events”, as you call them.

.

 

[zaffiroborant]

So, here is a question that I would like opinions on. This tragedy occurred in 2002 and 2003.
The family’s t.v. show came about because they had a large family and people were fascinated by this fact. If I remember correctly, shortly before the Duggar series came about, TLC was airing specials of different large families in the U.S. The Duggar’s show came on air in 2008.
As a result of this leak and the subsequent villification (my opinion) of the Duggars, their show has been put hiatus and may not be renewed.

Do you think this is fair to the parents and remaining children?

Why is having your own TV show a matter of fairness, was it fair that the Duggars hit a note with viewers, gaining their own show while the other large families didn’t? When you make your living putting yourself out there for public viewing one of the inherent risks is that you will lose favor in one way or another. The Duggars are not entitled to a TV show and viewers who shower them with good ratings. If people are now disenchanted with the family and not interested in watching or find that the family is not what they’ve been interested in oh well.

 

[estesbob]

Yeah, I think the news tends to jump on stories like this, although of course I have no idea how many are ignored and not presented.

That’s one thing I noticed reading this thread, there were some comments saying how cases like Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, Lena Dunham, and others were ignored, while this story has been getting more attention for political/social reasons. Maybe I tend to hang out in different parts of the internet than some other posters here, but I have seen huge backlash against the other 3 mentioned, and an story about them will bring out comments regarding the situations they’ve been involved in.

Did Lena Dunham lose her TV show? Did Woody Allen continue to make movies ? Did Roman Polanski get a lifetime achievement award from the Academy ?

 

[zaffiroborant]

Did Lena Dunham lose her TV show? Did Woody Allen continue to make movies ? Did Roman Polanski get a lifetime achievement award from the Academy ?

Did any of them base their media career on being an upstanding Christian doing things the right way, were people looking to them for spiritual, ethical or, moral inspiration?

 

[estesbob]

Did any of them base their media career on being an upstanding Christian doing things the right way, were people looking to them for spiritual, ethical or, moral inspiration?

No Why would it matter? Lena Dunham not only molested her Sister but falsely accused a man of rape Yef her show goes on

 

[meltzerboy]

I’m really shocked by some of what I’ve read in this thread. Josh repeatedly victimized five young girls, four of whom were his sisters. For the record, nowhere does it say that the one who wasn’t a sister wasn’t a family member; she just didn’t live at the house. The fact that he’s a serial child molester and that neither he nor his victims have ever received treatment is a huge deal. If they lived near me, family services would be investigating the Duggars and there’s a very high probability they would lose custody at least temporarily of all the minor children.

I don’t believe that the people defending Josh by saying that he was 13-14 when this happened and there’s no evidence that he’s re-offended have any clue what they’re talking about. The earlier claim that child molesters have a low recidivism rate is irresponsible and false. When a juvenile offender molests a family member, is reported early and receives appropriate counseling soon after, the recidivism rate is low. The more they offend and the longer they go without treatment, the higher the rate goes. Which group does Josh fall into?

Perhaps the most ridiculous statements in here are the ones who state or imply that because he sought God’s forgiveness and vowed not to do it again, people should take him at his word. The level of ignorance in these comments is astounding, especially coming from Catholics who should be all too aware of the recent, long history of priests who molested kids, repented, vowed not to do it again, got shuffled to another parish and kept molesting without missing a beat. Did Josh just repent better than they did?

Does Josh deserve our sympathy and prayers? Absolutely. But his sisters deserve that and much more. They deserve to be protected. They need to feel safe. They need to be free from the repeated victimization of having to be around their abuser and not having a say in the matter. And they need some reassurance that the same abuse isn’t going to be spread to their nieces. There’s no indication that any of that has happened here.

Well-stated as are your other posts on this thread. And, I would add, that not everything is part of a leftist agenda against conservatives. This is a human story apart from political ideology and certain values are universal.

 

[turtle18]

I know everyone is appalled at the revelation of the older brother molesting his sisters but I actually applaud the Duggars for handling the situation as they did.

I think this happens way more than society is willing to admit. An older brother or cousin molests his younger sister. And most parents are not equipped to handle this and they just dig their heads in the sands about it-because they cannot admit their son of their nephews have done such a thing. It is very damaging to the victim. And a lot of victims never say anything because they know their parents won’t believe them. This has happened in my family and in several of my friends’ families. It is appalling but it happens a lot. I do not think family size or whether the family is Christian has anything to do with it.

 

[lemongrass80]

People will read into it what they want to.

Fourteen year old boys, like fourteen year old girls, are very confused about their budding sexuality. You can be as sexually open a family as you want, or as cloistered, and you would probably find the number of incidents the same.

Just from a statistics standpoint, with 19 kids, I’d be shocked if there WASN’T one that was a little messed up. It’s always a wild card with young adults coming to terms with their biology.

This is why it is incredibly important to teach children, as soon as they are able to understand, the concepts of consent, proper sexual and anatomical terms, and atonomy of their own bodies.

 

[zaffiroborant]

No Why would it matter? Lena Dunham not only molested her Sister but falsely accused a man of rape Yef her show goes on

Of course it matters, the Duggars show is wholly based on their character and lifestyle, that they are good believing and behaving Christians is the only reason for the show. Lena Dunhams show is a comedy/drama it’s fiction with some of it taken from things in her personal life. It is actors playing fictional characters and I would guess directed at an audience that is not looking for inspirational stories about living a Christian life.

If viewers are disappointed in the Duggars behavior and no longer want to watch the show then is on them not on the network if the show is cancelled.

TV is all about the audience, they are the ones who “buy” the product, not the people behind the camera. No one gets to stay on TV unless they produce revenue, why should it be any other way?

 

[SAVINGRACE]

Lets look at our own Church. Our Church deliberately moved pedophile Priests to other parishes after they confessed contritely and vowed NEVER to do it again.

Guess what? They did it again, so they were moved again and again in some cases and our Church was an enabler and protector of pedophiles. Those are the facts. Measurements are in place now to combat that but not after a protracted period of silence, stalling, legal posturing and change in the form of effective measures.

Josh also confessed and promised NEVER to do it again. Only God knows but I wouldn’t allow him anywhere near my child.

Yes he is entitled to Gods mercy and he is not French therefore entitled to the presumption of innocence until found guilty.

I’d be interested to know what if any treatment he has received.

 

[Cider]

No Why would it matter? Lena Dunham not only molested her Sister but falsely accused a man of rape Yef her show goes on

Ok I’d never heard of her and I now I wish I still had never heard of her. I can’t even write on this forum what she did.

 

[Galnextdoor]

Nobody “leaked” anything. By the time the case was brought to the attention of the police that actually wanted to do something (presumably by Oprah’s people after receiving the letter) vs the child porn cop that Jim Bob originally took Josh to, Josh Duggar was 18 (police report dated 12/2006). The report was obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request.

Had Jim Bob not gone to a dirty cop first, Josh would have been facing felony sexual assault charges.

The incidents happened when he was 13. The people involved were minors, as such, the information was not supposed to be released. The privacy of these girls has been invaded.

In Touch magazine claims it was obtained via the Freedom of Information act, but last I read, was not able to produce documentation that it had gone through proper channels.

Regardless of whether the crime committed is a felony, in the state of Arkansas, you can not release that child’s name if they were 13 years or younger.

 

[Galnextdoor]

Of course it matters, the Duggars show is wholly based on their character and lifestyle, that they are good believing and behaving Christians is the only reason for the show. Lena Dunhams show is a comedy/drama it’s fiction with some of it taken from things in her personal life. It is actors playing fictional characters and I would guess directed at an audience that is not looking for inspirational stories about living a Christian life.

If viewers are disappointed in the Duggars behavior and no longer want to watch the show then is on them not on the network if the show is cancelled.

TV is all about the audience, they are the ones who “buy” the product, not the people behind the camera. No one gets to stay on TV unless they produce revenue, why should it be any other way?

Actually, the Duggars were not chosen for a t.v. show because of their beliefs. TLC was airing of lot of specials on large families when they created the Duggar’s show. The Duggar’s show initially aired because people were fascinated by the inner workings of big families. Jim Bob used to be an Arkansas State Senator. Once the show was created, the Duggar’s tried to use it as a tool to evangelize for their Christian lifestyle.

 

[Darryl_Revok]

I think it’s the level of pride involved that really bred resentment. For instance, Josh Duggar actually came out and said that his family was the epitome of conservative values, a sentiment undoubtedly shared by everyone in the family’s bubble.

Hubris is a trait which very few people find appealing. Hubris backed by pious self-righteousness is even less so. When nemesis comes–and it *always *comes–then the level of schadenfreude is directly proportional to the amount of hubris shown. It’s human nature.

 

[Galnextdoor]

Did any of them base their media career on being an upstanding Christian doing things the right way, were people looking to them for spiritual, ethical or, moral inspiration?

Actually, the Duggar’s media career was based on them having a large family and people’s fascination with that. The Duggar’s chose to try to use their show to evangelize. They did not get their show because they were Christians.

 

[Galnextdoor]

Why is having your own TV show a matter of fairness, was it fair that the Duggars hit a note with viewers, gaining their own show while the other large families didn’t? When you make your living putting yourself out there for public viewing one of the inherent risks is that you will lose favor in one way or another. The Duggars are not entitled to a TV show and viewers who shower them with good ratings. If people are now disenchanted with the family and not interested in watching or find that the family is not what they’ve been interested in oh well.

TLC made the decision, not the viewers.