This week’s National Enquirer features an article about the supposed dark side of the super prolific Duggar family, the stars of the TLC reality show 19 Kids and Counting. The Duggars say they started having as many children as God would bless them with after Michelle suffered a miscarriage when she was on birth control early in their marriage. Others claim that the Duggars, who homeschool their children and follow a conservative evangelical Christian Baptist teaching, are members of the Quiverfull movement, which seems superficially positive in that they don’t practice birth control and regard children as gifts from God. The Quiverfull movement has some lofty and kind of creepy aims, however, including creating “God’s Army” full of the progeny its members are producing and taking over the US Government. It’s also advocates a very submissive role of wives and mothers, who are relegated to baby-making and housekeeping. The Duggars say they’re not practicing Quiverfull but it’s hard to believe otherwise given their lifestyle.
The Duggars, the hugely popular 21-member reality family on TLC’s 19 Kids & Counting, are accused of hiding a dark secret – critics say they’re part of a fringe religious group that is plotting to take over the U.S. government!
On TV, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar seem to live a perfect, faith-based life in an immaculate Arkansas home with their 19 well-behaved children.
But some people say their TV show downplays their connection to a sect known as the QuiverFull movement and a religious leader who forbids watching TV and listening to rock music. QuiverFull’s opponents call the group a cult.
Aurthor Kathryn Joyce, author of QuiverFull: Inside The Christian Patriarchy Movement, told The ENQUIRER.
“The idea is that if Christian couples breed and indoctrinate enough children, they can take over both houses of Congress, ‘reclaim’ sinful cities like San Francisco and launch massive boycotts against companies that do not support conservative Christian beliefs.”
The QuiverFull sect’s ultimate goal is to take over the American government, according to another former member.
In a statement to The ENQUIRER, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar denied being affiliated with QuiverFull. However, the Duggars’ book and show DVDs are sold on the QuiverFull Web site.
AND Newsweek magazine has alleged the family is following the QuiverFull belief system.
[From The National Enquirer]
I read the print edition of the Enquirer, and it’s very similar to these two articles, in Newsweek and on Babble.com, exposing the kind of delusional belief system of Quiverfull and the way that it is particularly oppressive to women and young girls. This quote from a former Quiverfull wife in Newsweek is telling, and helps explain why many people are uncomfortable with the Duggar family:
Cheryl Lindsey Seelhoff, a former Quiverfull writer who left the movement, says that the lifestyle is frequently one of unrelenting duty and labor that leaves women little recourse if the demands of their lives prove too much to bear. “The Quiverfull movement holds up as examples men like the Duggars … all men of means. But for every family like this, there are ten or fifty or one hundred Quiverfull families living in what most would consider to be poverty … Mothers are in a constant cycle, often, of pregnancy, breastfeeding, and the care of toddlers.” Women are expected to feed and care for a large family on what are frequently limited resources, and the strain leads some to suffer clinical levels of exhaustion and self-neglect. The work that mothers can’t manage usually falls to their eldest daughters, who learn early that their role in life is domestic, as helpmeets to their parents and later their husbands, and as mothers to many children.
[From Newsweek]
I definitely see the point. Even if the Duggars aren’t affiliated with Quiverfull (and they’ve stated they aren’t), they make it look deceptively easy to raise a dozen plus kids and have a happy, contented lifestyle. I would be hard pressed to raise three kids, honestly, and my hat is off to all of you who have more than one and manage to make it work.
Photos of the Duggars courtesy of Google Images.
Seriously, why do people care so much? We don’t have to take care of their kids. I personally can only handle the two I have.. but I won’t sit and speculate and hate on someone that can handle 19! My mom decided she could handle 6 kids.. what box do we put her in? Leave them alone and live you life!
Why do people hate the Duggars? They have a loving family, kids, and they’re law abiding citizens. I don’t understand why people think that having only two kids is what all people should do.
I watched this show once and the Duggards went to a “summer camp” for other families like them. I remember one of the women of another family who LOOKED MISERABLE! She certainly wasnt has “chipmunk chipper” as Michelle Duggar! (I think she has chipmunk cheeks)
If they had 19 kids and the mother took care of them, that would be one thing. But she is stealing the lives of the older children by forcing them to become mothers and fathers to the younger kids. In any other circumstance if we saw a poor family where the teenage kid was forced to look after the toddler because the mom was off doing whatever, everyone would cry foul. But because this mother is just popping out more babies, its okay to pawn off your duties onto other kids? Doesn’t seem right. That is my beef with the Duggar family. Just because she has a vagina and ovaries that work doesn’t mean she should just keep that pez dispenser of a uterus in action. Let your kids be kids. Stop stealing what little childhood they would have.
People are afraid of groups they see as “cults” and believe these groups are harmful in some way. Not true!! A cult is only harmful to the people in that cult. A lot of people drop out, some stay, but whatever they want to do it is what they want and is not the business of anybody else.
I personally don’t see anything wrong with wanting and having a large family. I grew up with eight brothers and five sisters. We had to cook and clean and take care of the smaller children. We weren’t a cult; we were a FAMILY!!
I say, do your own thing and leave others alone. People don’t all need to live the same way.
P.S.: Back in Ancient Rome, Christianity was considered a “cult” and people were killed for what they believed. Thank about that.
yikes.
those dresses are reminiscent of the ones that the women in the Warren Jeffs polygamist cult wore.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IA5nokOFh84/R_1gPK-z1II/AAAAAAAABRQ/HFBmJyBXxJk/s400/poly-sect.jpg
man in that bottom picture it looks like they have no kids compared to these days
This article didn’t strike me as particularly hateful. It is ridiculous that somehow the Duggars are exempt from any kind of criticism because they have so many children and are not on welfare (woo hoo!!). They receive heaps of praise (and money) because of their family size but if you dare to look closely at their religion or the way they treat their children then you are judging them unfairly.
I don’t care about people’s religious beliefs but I don’t want my government overtaken by religious extremists who believe that the only way to live is their way. Two of the greatest things about being an American is freedom of religion and the separation of church and state. I for one would like to see both continue and believe that if you ignore religious extremists you do so at your peril.
This is definitely a non-story. It’s been speculated that the Duggars were part of the Quiverfull movement in the past. They deny it. I seriously doubt they would keep themselves in the spotlight as they do if they had a “deep, dark secret”. As for the Quiverfull movement- yes, I think it sounds creepy but it’s really not a danger to anyone other than its participants (like mslewis said.)There is certainly no danger that they will in fact take over the country- that’s the stuff of conspiracy theorists.
CULT! Who else has so many children in America????
This post is more fun than a RV full of Duggars! Weeeee!
The Duggar’s present a one-sided, bountiful pictue of how they live. That in itself is suspect.
Ah yes, the old tradition of labelling as a cult any group you don’t agree with. Honestly, any religion looks like a cult to the people outside of it.
And no one actually thinks that Pope represents the standard of living for Catholics, do they?
@ hmm – I don’t crap on people for their religious beliefs, either. I see no harm in the Duggars, so I have no reason to condemn them. Why should I? If you’re worried about religious extremists in America, I think you have bigger fish to fry than this family.
“A cult is only harmful to the people in that cult.”
completely untrue.
it is often very harmful to the family and friends of the person who joins the cult. plus, cults are almost constantly looking for new recruits, which means they are dangerous and harmful to the general public as well.
(this is not to say that the Duggars are or are not part of any cult, just that your characterization of cults is off base.)
I like the Duggars. I think they’re honest, hard working, and wholesome Christians.
Are Quakers going to take over Pennsylvania by force?
Are Mennonites secretly plotting to assassinate world leaders?
This is stupid. Leave the Duggars alone.
there are already too many people in the world and not enough natural resources to provide for all of them. i think that having a lot of kids should not be permitted because it will affect others, in an indirect way. people should be more conscious for God’s sake!
I’d love to say to each their own, but it’s really kind of unnecessary to have that many kids. it should be pretty clear to most people by now that the planet simply can’t support our current population growth. having 19 kids just seems selfish and ridiculous, sorry. It’s unfortunate that the human race is the only species without the good sense to limit its own reproduction when resources are scarce. Not us! We defend it in the name of “good Christianity”.
This is just my instinct speaking – but if they were promoting the group, don’t you think we’d know it by now? And wouldn’t they at least say they are in it?
I eat a lot of protein but I’m not promoting Atkins. Just saying.
I’ve been saying this forever (and gotten flack here for it once) and I’m sticking to it: THESE PEOPLE ARE COMPLETELY INSANE.
Ugh. They give me hives.
If you don’t think they are on WELFARE then that depends on your definition of WELFARE… My definition means that your lifestyle is sustained by state and federal benefits that other people do not recieve.
The Duggars recieve FREE HEALTH CARE FOR LIFE. Payed for by the taxpayers of Arkansas because Jim Bob was a state sentator for one term.
Their house is registered as a Church, because Jim Bob used to run a radio church show out of the garage, and so they DO NOT PAY PROPERTY TAXES.
Hence, the Duggars recieve a lot of welfare to maintain their lifestyle.
They are milking the system for their own benefit but people think its OK because they are White and Christian. The fact of the matter is, my dollar is helping them to continue to overpopulate the planet with uneducated backwards thinking children. So yes, I have a right to judge them, and yes I think their lifestyle is wrong and harmful to their children, especially their daughters who are homeschooled and never given the opportunity to go to college or really become anything other than a mother. (That’s another one of their family rules, the boys can go to community college but the girls must stay home to help do laundry, clean, and take care of the babies)
I’m confused…
“the Quiverfull movement…religious leader who forbids watching TV”
“However, the Duggars’ book and show DVDs are sold on the QuiverFull Web site.”
They can’t watch TV, but they can surf the web to the Quiverfull website then buy the show on DVD?
And as for the Duggers, well… whatever. I won’t promote it by watching it or buying their merchandise. Just doing my part.
My only beef with the Duggars is they ruined an episode of Say Yes to the Dress. He is just weird, she’s completely strange. and her dress was hideous. Plus, she had to ask his permission, or I’m sorry she just needed his approval for her second wedding gown. Lame.
Oh, and they brought like 30 of their kids to the bridal store. That was a little inconsiderate for the rest of the brides. However, all is forgiven if the kids pissed off a Bridezilla. haha.
3 words….
FREEDOM. OF. RELIGION !
I would prefer to have this family in my neighborhood rather than the Gosselins. They GIVE back to the community, as opposed to the Gopsselins that TAKE, TAKE, TAKE….!
Just another one of my opinions, people!
Oh No! Not these country folk peasants again.
Children of the Corn.
Well said The Queen Bee.
Seek moderation in all things, right? I think moderation flew out the window at around #10.
What a non-story. They say they aren’t a part of the movement. The only connection to the “Quiverfull” movement is that they sell the Duggars’ books? So, ignore what the actual people claim and base an entire story on the fact that they have a lot of kids and their books are sold by the Quiverfull people. That’s quite a stretch.
How can children be a gift if you are constantly trying to get pregnant? I dont get this at all. Shouldnt you wait for conception to happen instead of making it happen?
No two people can handle that many kids. It forces older children to act like adults and cheats them out of a childhood. That’s child abuse. Sorry, but it is.
@5 and 9 The problem here isn’t that these people have chosen to have a lot of children, its that those children are being exploited by their parents for financial gain. Before TLC and Discovery picked their story up, this family was living in a 3 bedroom house with 16 kids. Read their book, and you’ll find all sorts of questionable punishment tactics, “obedience games” formulated by Bill Gothard to instill unquestioning obedience to authority figures, and that children become responsible for the health, well-being, and education of their younger siblings as young as 10 years old. To say that they aren’t hurting anyone is ludicrous. They’re hurting their children and their futures. Even if they wanted to leave the movement, none of the women have the skills or education to get jobs. It’s a saddening, ridiculous state of affairs.
They are a beautiful family, but I too think they are in a cult. They don’t watch TV, they dress like those polygamists of Utah, and the kids are home schooled. Well at least they aren’t on welfare.
I don’t think that they are members of a cult. They surely would have promoted it by now. It would have come out sooner.
I just think that they enjoy their family and have decided to just go with the flow and have as many kids as they want and not to put any restrictions on it. Thats all. I could never do it. I love having 1 kid only haha!
One the bright side…at least they aren’t the Gosslin’s. You don’t see the Duggars doing the ho stroll at 2 am in the morning with a possum on her head or sleeping with skanky co-eds? I think that in itself gives them a semi-pass from me.
@MSLewis – actually, in Ancient Rome, people weren’t killed for their beliefs. The Romans were polytheistic themselves, and generally – when conquering other countries and dragging people back to be their slaves – they didn’t mind what weird religions those people brought with them. I guess they figured, what’s one more god? The more the merrier.
The problem they had with Christianity was that the Christians themselves wouldn’t play nice and be just one more faith among many; they were aggressively promoting Christianity as the One True Faith, and were a threat to Roman rule, inciting the populace to resistance. (It worked, obviously, or the Duggars might be thanking Jove for their many sproglets.)
But the stereotype of harmless, gentle Christians being thrown to the lions by those nasty ol’ Romans just cracks me up – the Romans killed the Christians because the Christians were just too aggressive for them! 😀
As to the Duggars – I’ve never seen this show in England, and I say Live And Let Live so long as they’re not hurting anyone. I’m sure they are, as people say, very nice, very well behaved and self-sufficient.
I do however reserve the right to look at their ranks of grinning, identically-dressed children and be creeped right out.
i read the people magazine article on them and they wait something around 80 or 90 days to have sex after birthing/having a girl and 30 – 40 days after having a boy. i dont agree with what they do but i dont know if they are constantly trying to procreate or it just happens.
As one of ten, I’m laughing at the responses calling family responsiblities “child abuse”. It’s called caring for your family and everybody helps out. We learned very young that the entire world doesn’t revolve around us and I’ll take that any day over the spoiled and entitled little brats I see everywhere.
No, they follow the teachings of a guy named Gothard, and he makes the Quiverfull people look positively harmless.
Seriously google him. It’s some freaky stuff. The main pages of his website are made to look as innocent as possible–read about him.
Of course they’re a cult. If they end up with 20 kids and 18 of them have 15 kids each on average, add that up. That’s 270 grandkids or so. If 260 of those grandkids average 10 kids each, that’s 2600 great-grandchildren. 2600!!!! That’s a medium sized town.
They’re already classified as a “church” so they pay no taxes. Everything’s a write-off. The kids aren’t allowed to mingle in any way whatsoever with outsiders or other kids. The older girls always have to raise the younger kids. There’s no way possible the parents can give the kind of time and attention each kid needs.
And don’t get me started on their sub-par, lucky if it’s 8th grade level education.
It’s ridiculous. They’ve often said they have so many kids because they think kids are a blessing, but that makes no sense. I think children are a wonderful blessing and I have one. My best friend thinks they are too, and she has two.
Just because you think something is a blessing doesn’t mean you have to hoard that thing and have AS MUCH OF IT AS POSSIBLE. God gave us reproductive organs AND brains.
@mslewis – But Christianity is a cult.
Total cult (but aren’t most religions, really?)! And yeah, they make it look easy because they’re ON TELEVISION! I can’t imagine them allowing a ‘realistic’ version of their lives being shown (extreme messes, extreme loudness, extreme cleaning, etc). That would be bad for the cult.
I can see how this movement worked back in the day. Childbirth was very dangerous, and a lot of women and children died. However, in todays world, especially in America, we have modern medicine. With the world being as overpopulated as it is, I feel like this movement is selfish. They are adding to the worlds overpopulation, and lowering the quality of life for their future relatives. Also, they raise their kids to where they don’t seem to have the option to have a different life. But who am I to judge? They seem happy, and I truly hope that is the case, and in the end that is all that matters.
They ARE Quiverfull, and they follow the teachings of a kook named Gothard who advocates, among other things, something called “blanket training”. They had the link on their old website. They’re just more savvy now about revealing their beliefs, given their fame and the money from the show.
You should’ve seen their old site – they claimed that Michelle’s prior use of birth control resulted in a miscarriage of her first pregnancy, and there was a huge picture of Michelle, first kid, in front of a giant photo of Jim-Bob’s big head.
Just as a note to posters saying they must not be in Quiverfull if they say they’re not. How many Scientologists openly admit to being a member?
I would agree that, for the most part, small cults of adult members do not pose a direct harm to my life, but I believe that they do a great harm to the children who are given little choice, minimal education and minimal possibilities of having a fulfilling life outside of the cult. In addition to the adult members that want to leave, but are prohibited by threat of losing their children and/or contact with their families, financial means, etc.
I don’t know whether Quiverfull is actually a cult or whether the Duggars are members, but they do seem to follow the general trajectory of many cults: 1) little to no discussion of the cults beliefs/actions outside of current members other than for the purpose of recruiting new members; 2) homeschooling children to strictly control what is learned and limit possibilities for higher education (I’m not downing homeschooling itself, for honestly qualified parents, it can be a good thing for their children), but when the used curriculum is devised from the belief system of the religious/group leader as opposed to proven educational practices, that’s bad; 3) restricting the freedom/growth of female members; 4) Upholding men as being only members worthy of power/decision-making/financial control
I actually think that most cults aren’t about taking over the government or even religion so much as maximizing the power of men over the women in their lives and their small world in general.
/rant
Excellent points Queen Bee
Having 19 kids is selfish. Do you think those young kids want to be taking care of their younger siblings? Sure they have been programmed to say they love it and Im not saying they dont absolutely love their siblings but given the choice you know they would chose playing like a normal child over raising their siblings.
The parents FORCING (its not an option from what i see on the show) the children to care for the younger children, that they as adults CHOSE to have, is somewhat abusive, definitely extremely selfish.
If you cant take care of them yourself dont have them and no parents can take care of 19 kids by themselves.
If they are so Christian why didnt they adopt after oh say maybe 12 kids? Wouldnt that be the Christian thing to do? I dont think God loves people who breed just for sake of breeding which is obviously what these 2 do. Having a child is way more special than this breeding machine makes it. It doesnt appear they do it out of love regardless of what they spew but more to prove they can.
If they truly believe in their religion why wouldnt they be proud and talking openly about it? Only people who are in cults hide what their religion is.
Queen Bee: I was wondering the same thing. I don’t live in America so I don’t know what your Government hand outs are like but they must be raking in a lot of money! And they don’t pay tax? That doesn’t seem fair at all. What are they actually giving back to the community? I also wonder how the kids are going to grow up. Surely one of them is going to rebel.
They seem very cultish to me. How would the kids ever get one on one with their parents?
And.. Imagine having that many siblings growing up. Jessh I thought having one older over protective brother was enough.
Jim Bob looks like a Neanderthal. This family creeps me out.
I love how this turns into a feminist thing. Oh, she has to take care of all those kids. How horrible. I’m sure having to support 20 FREAKING PEOPLE isn’t any kind of stress on the man, not at all.
There’s a reason we die younger than women, and only part of it is having to read nonsense like this.
I’d think it was really cool if they’d adopted 19 children. Especially if they were hard to place. Then I’d be impressed with their expression of the gospel of Christ.
Jvon -I have an idea for you: How about starting a “man-ist” website dedicated to all the totally unfair things about being a man. Then you could release all your anger there instead of weirdly inserting it here.
“The Duggars say they started having as many children as God would bless them with after Michelle suffered a miscarriage when she was on birth control early in their marriage.”
so that’s why they have 200 kids, because whatever birth control she was using failed? that makes no sense.
in the time you all wasted gossiping about this matter, you all couldve had yourself a baby!!!!!!
the duggars did.
The God’s Army thing is a spiritual thing.
When Christian talk about Army, it’s for the Spiritual Warfare thing. God’s enemy is the Devils and NOT the Government.
The Gothards are taught NOT to adopt. It is not allowed in their belief system. Google Gothard and adoption if you are so inclined. He doesn’t even advocate letting a non-biologically related person ever spend the night at your house. It upsets the biological family too much.
So according to their beliefs, they are forbidden from adopting. Convenient, huh?
Read Queen Bee again!
Easy peasy when you work the system.
No worry about college educations for those girls. They are home schooled, then get married and start breeding.
I wonder what books are pre-approved for them to read? Can they spell B R A I N W A S H E D?
I think the most important issue here is that NO ONE should tell a couple (in the United States) how many kids they can have and why. It’s a personal choice and if you can and do support them in a loving way, then who are we to judge?
That said, their home should not be categorized as a “church” and be tax exempt. Ridiculous.
They are clearly incredbily self reliant – they do not spend money frivolously and I appreciate their group support mentality. Many American families would benefit from that self sustaining perspective.
I saw an episode recently where they had a slip and slide set up and all the girls were dressed in “bathing dresses”
or what Michelle has referred to a “modest dressing”. This to me personally seems insane and very limiting. No need to dress them in bikinis and biker shorts, but there are many modest, conservative options out there that are not backwards and seemingly circa 1920.
Their daughters do seem to be raised to have families only, not a career woman or someone with an original thought in the bunch, but all seem happy, healthy and content. (Though they may not know any better.)
I am disturbed by the fact that even their oldest son, a new dad, wasn’t encouraged to go to college and get an education — the kid is working at a used car dealership. The girls absolutely seem that they are not being pushed to develop their minds and seek out opportunities that could bring fulfillment, not just as a wife and mother, but in ADDITION to. I find that sad.
As a modern woman with a career, who was raised in a wicked traditional household it does upset me. My parents DEMANDED/INSISTED/ENSURED I go to college, find a way to sustain myself, and never have to be dependent on a man for survival. And my folks have been happily married (mostly 🙂 for 50 years. How can people not evolve?
One of those daughters or sons at some point I pray will break away and build some thing for themselves. They need friends outside the family. It’s not healthy to only be involved with your family, though a big family is a wonderful blessing and creates long last and wonderful relationships.
The duggars are a bunch of weirdo freaks. they should of stopped having babies about 20 years ago. i do not even understand why these ignorant people have a tv show.
One more thing I want to say that is judegmental I suppose… the Duggar’s have been very vocal that they chose to have as many kids as God would give them because they used birth control early on that they perceive caused a miscarriage. Sorry, but this is horseshit. I’ve had this discussion with my OB and there is ZERO evidence to suggest that previous hormonal BC use EVER EVER EVER causes miscarriage. The most common causes of miscarriage is abnormal chromosomes. Yes continued hormone BC taking WHILE pregnant can increase cause of MC, there is little in terms of scientific evidence to support this.
Any program like this, whether it be Scientologist, Quiverfull, I will just not watch. The Duggars are a messand what I get from the fatehr, just behind the “nice as pie” face you see, is a tyrant. It makes me nervous. We have watched this newest child be born and now may have CP etc. Would Jim Bob let his wife have her tubes tied after this? Will she just keep producing babies that cannot thrive without medical intervention? WHAT KIND OF MESSAGE FO WE GIVE?
Thank God there are others who find these people creepy.
They are no different than Warren Jeffs and those freaks in Utah. Everyone was very quick to call foul there but here because they whitewash it and wrap it up in a pretty bow it is ok.
How is it ok to oppress your children and break their will? How is it ok to never let them mix with other people?
And how is it that the Gosslins are the yardstick to compare any family by? They are both dysfunctional and bad in their own ways.
Please do not tell me looking at the pictures of those glassy eyed identically dressed kids with identical old fashioned hairstyles, not unlike the Warren Jeffs crowd, is ok. Really? No alarm bells?
So as long as they aren’t on welfare all is ok? A lot of F’d up families are self sufficient but are still totally and irrevocably dysfunctional.
I come from a big Catholic family so I got no beef with a large family but come on 20 and counting? If these kids led normal lives where they could develop as individuals and were encouraged to be themselves, then it would be a lot easier to take but this is just sad and tragic.
I just hope and pray one will break free and bring back word that there is another world available to them and then liberates some of the others.
My problem with Quiverfull, and the general idea that a womans only role is to breed and be subserviant to her husband, is that for every Michelle Duggar there will be an Andrea Yates. Her and her husband were supposedly part of the Quiverfull sect. I don’t call anything that leads somenone to kill all her children harmless.
I LOVE THE DUGGARS and I believe they are not in any sort of shady cult. If their lifestyle is “easy” for them, well then it is. They aren’t saying that we all should live just like them because it will be “easy” and “blissful” – they are just doing a reality t.v. show. I’m sure they’d feel joy if because of their show, viewers reflected on their life of faith (or non-faith). I have a very discriminating eye for spotting fake “righteous” people with an agenda, and I’m not seeing that here.
They are promoting self-serving ignorance. Certain their kids will grow up to be valuable, contributing members of society…not.
Stuff all of them in a VW and we have our next generation of circus clowns.
Most of you people wouldn’t know a cult if it crawled up your ass. That’s how you get involved in one to begin with.
Someone should stop these people. Won’t someone please think of the children?! lol
They make a lot of their money the same way the Gosselins do, getting paid for putting the familiy on TV. Why do so many praise this family, but trash J and K for the SAME thing? Well, this family is worse because at least Jon and Kate didn’t use the kids as slave labor to build their mansion the way the Duggars did.
That person who commented in the article makes a good point – if the husband isn’t making enough money, it can be hard to raise kids. My husband was an accountant, and I raised two kids (close together in age) and it was a constant financial struggle. I still hate chicken because it reminds of those years when I would have to make one chicken feed our family of four for three nights.
My beef with the Duggar’s is the lack of transparency regarding how they can afford to feed, house, clothe, etc. that many people. I believe that they are given money and not just from their show. And how can they advocate others do the same as them, when not all families can have their own show to help pay for all those kids?
all religions are cults. ALL of them.
Man, the Duggars are what’s wrong with Christianity.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: It’s a uterus, not a clown car. With 7 billion people on the planet that we can’t feed as it is, what right do they have to continue to explode the population? I find it grotesque, since none died in childhood and aren’t needed to harvest in the crops.
Just “not being on welfare” isn’t enough to suppress the nausea that tribe induces in me.
John! I’m with you baby 😀
lol i have no idea there’s someoone using john doe as a nick ^^
btw, I’m all behind The Queen Bee.she has excellent points.
Glad I’m Jewish!
Duggar mom is being denied basic human rights, like bodily integrity.
@Samantha- I agree with you 100% Your kids, you take care of them. Don’t pass on your responsibilities to your kids.
Queen Bee,
I didn’t know some of the things you posted. I don’t have a problem with them regardless. But is it true that the girls are forbidden community college? Where did you hear that? Thanks.
Sure glad that Haliley’s Comet isn’t coming around again in my lifetime.
The supporters of these cultists will have to be dressed in sweat suits and Reeboks, while they drink the Goofy Grape kool-aid.
How gauche!
The clown father looks way too much like a young, diabolical Jim Baker.
She needs to get out, with the tribe, before he makes her start looking like Tammi Faye.
Stump hang him.
anyone who thinks the duggars’ incessant reproduction is harmless needs to run out and watch the movie “IDIOCRACY”. Run!
My great aunt had 18 children (Catholic) and people always gave the family a hard time even though the father supported everyone…I say if they are happy, leave them alone but if she’s being forced into it…step in.
Sorry but the duggars are gross. They take advantage of the govt. They don’t encourage or probably even want their kids to go to college, especially the girls. The girls have to take a backseat to men. Husbands make all the major decisions & come first. There’s a little thing called over population that’s destroyoing our planet. They just piss me off. I so can not wait for one of the kids to come out of the closet. And I bet there’s more then 1.
One day, one of the kids will write a tell all and make gazillions of dollars. It would be ironic if none of these kids turn out to have kids of their own because of how they were raised. And…does anyone remember that cult the Moonies?
I have been reading up on the Duggars and the religion they practice. Trust me, people, it would scare you when you get deep down into it. They think they are going to take over everything. Space doesn’t allow me to expound on all of their beliefs, but they believe “they and theirs” are sacred apart from the rest of us. They don’t believe in employment except in family businesses. I guess the doctors and nurses keeping their baby alive at the moment are heatherns that aren’t as blessed as the Duggars to live in their world of “non-employment” except for in a family business. Nor are the tour guides, etc. on the family trips they take. There is real strangeness in their beliefs…..so much superiority that I believe if you Duggar supporters really dug into the Duggars, you would change your mind. They think they are “chosen” out a tens of millions. In other words, off camera they think they are better than anyone else. Funny, then why do they look like bag ladies and homeless men and children?
We’ll know it’s not a cult if the kids ultimately make their own decisions about their lives. Just by chance and environment, that many kids would have different opinions and desires about how to live. If they all live the same way as mommy and daddy did, then there was no room for dissension in their upbringing. All the matching clothes strike me as totalitarian and I think that’s what makes them creepy.
And theoretically if every life is precious to God, what is more precious about 20 kids than 1, or 5? The loving thing would be to have the number of babies that the couple is capable of taking care of and loving the best they can, as individuals, whatever that number is. That number will be different for different families.
How many children did your Jesus have; you babbling morons?
God only had one…
Get a grip you freakin’ zealots…
She has Christian cult hair.
It’s a cult. End of story. Just look at her creepy bangs.
@Queen Bee…I did not know all of this stuff. This family made me sick before and now Im angered. Not sure how someone gets away with declaring their home a church… thats baffling.
I love how these people that just spit out kids for income get away with milking the welfare system. I think the more kids you have the more free stuff you get. All of the reality TV families have state paid health care for their kids, including the Gosselins. Its sickening and sends a bad message, If you want to get rich or get free stuff.. have a bunch of kids and sell them to the media.
This family makes me sick.
Right on the Queen Bee!!!!
“they can take over both houses of Congress, reclaim sinful cities like San Francisco”
That exact thing happened at the bookstore I worked in, only with Lutherans!
The new boss was a Lutheran leader, and then every normal person was slowly removed, and replaced with a Lutheran churchboy! Actually it’s starting to feel more like Invasion of the Bodysnatchers. I remember being the last normal one and seeing all the Lutherans point and squeal while I ran away.
“Glad I’m Jewish!”
Wait, not too fast! There’s NOT better religion than the other. There’re weird Duggars in every religious group, and Jews and above all Muslims today (Islam is very progresist, wanting to replace the “unbelivers”) have this fanatic, prolific families, reproducing like rabbits, to “serve” God’s purpuses and replace the “others”. Jews are not exception, sorry.
I LOOOOVE all your comments! 19 kids is inacceptable for the Planet. You can’t prouve 100 % they’re harming their kids or people approching them (I’m sure they destructive, their education is alienating children and giving a wrong message to millions of young girls) but they HARM the tired Planet for sure, it IS mathematical. Imagine how much they eat, use water, the mountain of dirty diapers or used clothes they’re leaving behind them for 25 years. Stop them from reproducing now!
Why do they have SOOOO many children? In my opinion: they wanted several children after she lost ONE (a trauma) and refused to continue the birth controll to avoid to loose another one the same way. I know women like that, and we can understand that, not excuse but understand. But as they didn’t stop after 3, 4 ou 5 kids, 1/ a sectish cult (any of them) could have taken controll over the family (and their 19th century retrograde looks confirm it, they’re following rules of a sect, consciously or not) the Duggars being “perfect” to spread their “model”. They started to match their “strict” standards and values of a sect and usually they approach you.
2/After 7, 8, 9 ou 10 babies, they started to attract atention and get money from this “active never tired vagina show”, like octomum, so why would they stop? It’s their business to reproduce, clean and cook on TV, sell DVD, like your job/activity is feeding you. And if they continue, they’ll remain family NUMBER one, speaking of numbers. In case you didn’t notice, there’s competition out there (LOL: a single crazy chick, a pale copy of Angelina Jolie, popped 8 healthy kids in ONE afternoon, and has 14 without a job, a house, a husband or even a working ovary. Ans has time to make up and looks good in a bikini. Think of it! Duggars have to work hard to remain in the race and coninue to milk the cow!!!
“She has Christian cult hair. It’s a cult. End of story. Just look at her creepy bangs.”
Not exactly. She has 19th century looks, a bigot century, after the “siècle de lumières and libertinage”. The purpurse of these people is to look 19th century, the opposite of “modern” or “selfish mother going to hairdresser instead of ironing and scrubbing the floors”. You look these way, if you don’t cut your hair, except your bangs, and because you do it yourself, it looks weird. I did it once when I was seven, I had these “nice” bangs I cut myself with kitchen scisors.
Extremely religious jewish or arabic women cover their hair or even face, to avoid to look… modern. She cuts too much hair wen she cuts her bangs. It’s (an amazing) marketing, larger bangs make you look “amishish” and from another century (which you unfortunately are). Good job Mrs. D!
Have a look on old pictures, you’ll see a lot of normal women looking like her, not only women belonging to a “christian cult”.
PS She looks old fashion and weak, but he is scary (tyranical and with a sort of psycho pb, desire of domination, it has a scentif. name, I read about it, who remembers?). He’s the one with pbs in this couple and the one who needs this big family to compensate something.
“I don’t think that they are members of a cult. They surely would have promoted it by now.”
They ARE promoting a lifestyle of a cult. It’s the new religious marketing, and it’s true for arabic extremists for example, they don’t promote charia (having secular sectish rules), they promote the “freedom” of living covered from tip to toe, submitted to husband, father, sons, oncles and “producing” a dozen of ignorant children, “gifts of GOD”, only God knows why.
The Duggars are promoting a sectish way of living and conceiving the world (the education, the birth controll…, the isolation from “free modern world”, getting money from the “sky” to eat without working at all) which is even more efficient that promoting a cult.
This is why, millions of people, feeling unconfortable with the Duggars, can’t openely criticise them. Belonging to an existing sect or not, is secondary to know about the Duggars: they are a sect by themselves, do exatly what people do in a cult, and could start a new one if they aren’t enrolled in some creepy beliefs of an existing cult yet.
“I think they’re hard working”
Oh!!!! where ? Where do they work? In their 2 millions private self / 5 star kitchen, opening cans and heating up frozen pizzas (look at their recipies / given on their website)? They don’t work MORE as people taking care of a class/group of children during a summer camp and they are Their OWN beloved CHILDREN, working like adults and disciplinated (easy, they don’t go to school), don’t watch TV, don’t have friends, probably don’t fight a lot, don’t read subversive litterature… Each of them takes care of the laundry, schoes, dishes… and the shopping, it’s was shown on TV, the Duggars “planning”.
What will they give back to society? Will they save someone, exept thier souls (how selfish!)? Do they built roads, save peole in hospitals, teach in schools, nurse old people, produce food or houses?
They take money and use it for themselves living in a complete AUTARCY!!! on vacation. A shame, and they feel superior, having a secret mission from God. Sure! I want one, as fun as this one! An eternal summer camp with two dozens of youngsters, with some basic homeschooling in the morning, and alaways a smiling baby to look at, play with. Don’t smile, you! you pay for it, and the Planet does as well.
Jim Bob Fox is a wise (tyran) man.
I’m Sorry I just don’t understand the thinking of these people.I live about 90mls from the Duggars.I have 3 Children & 5 Gran Children.
I went to Church of God for many years and this is not God’s well to Breed like Animals.
He Gives you The good seances when to Stop.
Even a Vet will tell you a Cow or Dog dose not need to give birth every year. they are taking the child and her health to a point that something very bad is about to happen.
What than if she Dies giving Birth? That leaves the older girls to care even more to the younger Children. As for a Cult MAYBE SO) Just plan Crazy YES!.I think it’s a money thing Now and look at all they get off of the shows..Why not just live in there little world and stop with the WOW!!!! over 19-20-21- births. And Just think each child will breed like Rabbits
because of Mom & Dad being over Sexed.It’s Not Funny People!! They have a real problem
here. And we all will pay for the Sick Babies to come from this Family. I’m so tired of being ask because I’m from Ar. if we are like the Duggars and have A Human breeding Farm!
SAD VERY SAD FOR THE CHILDREN OF THIS FAMILY.
)O(
i have to make a point here that for a family that u all seem to hate u cant shut up about them do any of u personaly know this family? is it any of your business how many kids they have and although i agree in part that their kids shouldnt be raising the younger ones i do think that there is nothing wrong with having responsibility and duties in the home maybe if more people brought their kids up with some morals the world wouldnt be as it is today who are we to say how many kids is to many what business is it of ours to interfere in anybodys family life instead of making snide jealous comments on here go make sure your own families are fine before commenting and judging other peoples unless this family is abusing their kids,starving them or using them as slaves KEEP OUT OF THEIR BUSINESS they are doing a great job with their kids and by keeping them at home they are protecting them from ignorant people like those found here
Wow! After reading all your comments all I can think of is Wow!
I’ll admit that I watch the show, I even like it. My kids and I (only 1 girl and 1 boy)love to see all the situations they run into in their lives. They have been given opportunities that I never had, as well as been invited to places I would love to visit. Does that make me hate them though?
How many of you out there would turn down free health insurance if offered to you? He served a term and that was one of the benefits.
Don’t we all try to find ways to avoid paying more taxes? We have elected people at times just on their promise of keeping taxes in check. I don’t agree with them using their home as a church for tax purposes, but if it is allowable by law why should I hate on them. Get on your local, state, or federal government reps to change the law.
Do you really think that a TV network would throw their support and resources behind the Duggars if they were that unstable? We may need to vet some of these people commenting above before we take their word as truth.
To be honest I am a little suprised at myself because I read all of the postings. Usually I read a few and move on. Something about the hatred some folks here have for them made me want to keep going and even post, go figure.
All that to say, get over it people. If you don’t like the Duggars or their lifestyle then don’t watch. If you feel this strongly about it, write them a letter. Posting here among people of the same thinking doesn’t do anyone any good, we only grow as people when we push out of our comfort zone and work at finding out why things (or people)are the way they are.
the duggars are one of the nicest, most interesting families around on tv. they’re sweet, kind to one another, pay their taxes, live modestly and productively in this world, and as far as i have been able to tell, don’t talk about others, unless nicely….
Are you serious? Look at the title of your site. We all need to follow the example of the Duggars. They are so kind and are nonjudgmental. So people can judge them all day, but they are living the way we all should be living. They follow the bible and know the roles of husband and wife. If the world would put Jesus as the head of their house and love your wife as Christ loved the church then the family would be in perfect harmony. People have become so worldly. We all need to put our focus back on Jesus Christ. The Duggars are bringing their children up in the Word and not in worldly ways. Their is a reason why the Duggars have joy and shine and that is because they love the Lord and seek Him in all things. If the Duggars had forty children, they still would run a more Godly family than most of the world today.
They are doing so many things right for so many people to bring judgement on them. Usually the ones that have judgmental comments are jealous and could not run their family in the way the Lord is pleased. Their children are so well mannered, respectful, and have self control, which so many children in the world today do not have. Most of the comments portray the Duggars as selfish and they are so selfless. They are constantly giving. I am sure if some of you would have been brought up in a family like the Duggars you would have not written all the mean and hurtful comments. However they are running their family is working beautifully, and the world needs to take notice and follow.
Some genuinely rattling work on behalf of the owner of this website , perfectly outstanding articles 🙂
If Christian values of faith,hope and love are disturbing and raising a large loving family are threatening to our society, then I’d rather live in that cult than the destructive world we have now.
I disagree, the duggars are todays only christian role model. i look up to them. if the world was more like tham, it would be way better. they teach when you are calm cool and collected, God will always take care of you no matter what. put your faith in him
Let’s talk sustainability. Let’s say you live in a quiet neighborhood and all of the Duggard children and their potential children live near you…they are going to live somewhere. Perhaps it ought to be in the Duggard supporters’ quiet neighborhood. Decreased food supply, lower water levels, more waste, less genetic diversity, lack of ability to look at the world in its complex layers, and more. Duggard nation here we come. Seriously, the time for super gargantuan families has passed. It is just not sustainable.
exactly.