There’s a difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowing something is inappropriate doesn’t mean children aren’t tempted anyway. For example, I had a guy in our neighborhood that was big into vandalism. I knew it was wrong, but when I hung out with him I participated. That drive to be liked and accepted by him overrode my intellectual objections to the behavior. At 14, there are powerful motives to act contrary to moral knowledge.
Yeah. I feel most sorry for the girls. It was swept under the rug when it happened. Now they are re-living it. Honestly, people just don’t get it.
I think this is the most important point. Everything we see of this family is carefully controlled, sterilized and packaged for mass consumption. In the process of creating a television show, they’ve (unwittingly or not) cultivated an image that bears only the slightest resemblance to reality, and their response to this has been crafted to conform this image.
This isn’t merely sexual misconduct. This is child molestation. Sorry, work camp and a Christian mentor are NOT sufficient to deal with such a thing.
Lol, OK, whatever…well I have never inappropriately touched a child or any person in my life so I don’t even know what to tell ya.
Let’s be clear. You don’t actually know what help he did or didn’t receive, and it is foolhardy to pretend that you do. But the truth is that you don’t necessarily even need “professional help” to overcome such behaviors, anyway, because sometimes such behavior is like a “stuck gear” that happens at puberty, where you are kind of stuck in a state of sexual immaturity. Sometimes just being “found out” is frightening enough to “unstuck” the gears.
So you are stating that 14 year olds, in general, are off the hook regarding any sexual misconduct. Hopefully you are as charitable about 14 year old girls who dress in halter tops and short skirts.
I don't think this means he will molest kids now, but after the second time they should of done something different no? He has to live with the guilt and shame of molesting five different people (at least) and there are five victims not one or two. I think it has to be pretty horrific on all sides.
I get the feeling people are minimizing the emotional harm of the girls.He was raised in a strict Christian home and he didn’t know that molesting people is wrong? Oh puh-lease. :nope:
And why is that? The Duggars didn’t publicize the records. JD is 27 and no longer a threat to his sisters. So what was to be gained by publicly releasing the report and unearthing their memories of the incidents? The people who wanted to embarrass and discredit the Duggars and FRC are the ones that are resurrecting the incident and leading to the victims re-living the indicent.
So you’d happily let Josh Duggar babysit your kids, because the charitable course of action is to assume he has overcome? You would take that risk yourself?
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This doesn’t say that they have a program for people who sexually abuse others. I’m sure if they offered this program, it would be on their website. Maybe you should check there.
The only way Josh Duggar got professional counseling is if the authorities forced it on the family. That’s a possibility. However, there is no way the Duggars would have pursued that on their own considering the Gothard movement that they belong to. In fact, Michelle stated in the police report that there was no professional counseling involved. this mess went on for at least FOUR years without professional therapy in the picture.
Of course not. What made you think that? My point is that it isn’t just as simple as knowing what is the right thing. It is also instilling character and wisdom to resist urges to act contrary to moral knowledge. When I was caught vandalizing, my father didn’t let me blame the guy down the street for my behavior. But he did understand the influence the guy had on me and the others when we were caught. Not only did I have to help clean up the mess I helped make, I was banned from hanging out with that guy. I did restitution, asked forgiveness, and had my energy redirected elsewhere. Which I think is SWolf’s point about redirecting energies.
What do you mean by “morally accountable”? If you mean that there should be repercussions, it starts as soon as children start making rational decisions, perhaps somewhere around 2 years old. If you mean something more, such as jail time, then when efforts to prevent the behavior such as through counseling (of whatever type), punishment, etc, continue to fail. Now, I agree that the Duggars likely handled it poorly. But that’s beside the point 13 years later. The issue is whether or not he continues to be a threat to children. There’s zero evidence that he is.
Yes, I likely would. I have a 5 year old daughter and 2 year old boy. If he were a family friend for the last 13 years, and this came to light, I wouldn’t be worried. He’s 27, married, acted stupidly and immorally when we was 14, and there’s no evidence there’s been any repeat offenses.
Vandalizing is a petty crime. Sex crimes are more serious. You aren’t put on a list for the rest of your life for Vandalizing, you are put on a list for sex crimes.
Thank you for demonstrating my point. It is arrogant of the social sciences to think they are the only means to help rehabilitate a 14 year old guilty of molesting his sisters.
Wow. Well, you are super trusting. Nope, 13 years isn’t long enough for me. I also wouldn’t allow my children to be babysat by other criminals, either.
The seriousness of the crime is the deciding factor?