The Duggars

[Dave Roberts]

I have not entered the commentary before on the Duggars. First, I have never watched their shows. Reality TV is something that is more scripted than that which is an acted script. Once you bring the cameras, reality goes out the window. Second, the glorification of how prolific your family may be and the upholding of that as a Christian ideal is something I find highly offensive. There are many people who are certainly faithful followers of Christ who do not have biological children or were denied more than one who see the Duggars and the Robertsons (Duck Dynasty) as making the large extended family the sign of God's blessing. Third, when people put their stories out there as the ideal, their faults go along with the story and will sooner or later become the fodder of discussion. I don't know a lot, despite a week of 24/7 coverage, about what really went on in the Duggar family. There is obviously a moral failure, and the depth of it is certainly concerning. Don't blame everyone else when it is exposed, and above everything, don't blame the victims in this for telling their stories. Above everything, don't blame all Christians for the failure of some (or their bad ideas). We all have enough failures of our own.

[Haruo]

I don't talk about them much because I'm very mildly embarrassed to say I don't know whether to rhyme them with "muggers" or "boogers".

[ET]

Dave, I'm puzzled as to where you get the belief that these folks (either the Duggars or the Duck Dynasty folks) are supposedly held up as the ideal. Certainly the Robertsons don't claim that and have been honest about their failings earlier in life. My youngest daughter enjoyed watching "19 Kids" and I've watched episodes with her here and there, but never felt anyone was promoting this as the "ideal" family pattern.

I certainly have never heard anyone argue that having only one child could be construed to be a lack of blessing from God. The Quiverfull subset of Christians may make that argument, but if so, I am unaware. I think if anything, the argument would be that any child or additional child one has is a blessing from the Lord (and should never been lamented as "oh no, another mouth to feed"), but that doesn't mean that if you don't have a "large" family, you are somehow being shone less favor in God's eyes.

[Dave Roberts]

[ET]

Did we have a discussion that article some time back....Maybe a couple of years?

[Dave Roberts]

[Chris]

Don't the Duggars follow the Bill Gothard cult? http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/03/02 ... isconduct/
and the "full quivver" movement (I can't recall who gets attribution for that.

[Ed Pettibone]

Ed: Chris I belive it was Solomon who wrote in Paslm 127: Like arrows in the hand of a fighting man are the sons of a mans youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; TNEV, some other versions say children rather than just sons. The NIV calls the man a warrior rather than a fighting man.

I have been rather surprised that A.M. and his wife with 2 children, only 1 of whom is a son support this modern bandwagon so strongly. There was a time when a family needed many hands to maintain the house, raise and prepare the food both animal and vegetable, and to make clothing and footwear.

[Haruo]

"Like arrows in the hand of a fighting man are the sons of a mans youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them"
≈
"It's nice to have a lot of kids, they can bail you out if you get in too deep."

Incidentally, I see Unicode calls "≈" "Almost equal to"; I think it should be "Approximately equal to", since "Almost implies that the approximation is most likely on the downhill side.

[ET]

[Sandy]

[Haruo]

For a full-quiver pusher, Gothard remained (and remains) suspiciously single. Both Mrs H and I attended IYBC presentations with our Sunday School class in high school, and she had some further involvement as an adult, I'll let her decide if she wants to talk about it. For many years I received an annual birthday card from the Gothard outfit. Last I heard he was for such a goody two-shoes.

[Haruo]

He (Gothard) does appear to have repented, although I'm not sure his statement about having sinned most against the Lord bodes well for how seriously he affected his neighbors. ; I had not previously known of this statement. Yay Internet!