Forgiveness doesn’t mean freedom from natural consequences…
For Those Unaware…
Josh Duggar is part of a very large family which had, until very recently, its own reality television show on TLC. Josh was also a high ranking member in a Christian para-political organization, the Family research council.So why are you writing about him?
Recently it came to light that in 2004, at the age of 14, Josh molested several of his sisters and at least one other non-family member female. Furthermore, it was noted that the family did not immediately go to the authorities and that the one police officer the father (Jim Bob) did confide in (Officer Hutchens) did not take any official action but only gave Josh a “stern talking to”.It turns out, Officer Hutchens himself had serious sexual issues as he is now in prison on a 55 year term for possession and distribution of child porn.
So What’s the Point?
The point is this: Josh did some very bad things but it appears, from official reports, that the family, rather than take swift action, sent Josh to live with a friend for a few weeks to help remodel some houses. No, you didn’t read that wrong, that was the only punishment he received after molesting four of his sisters.Why didn’t Josh go see an actual counselor? Why didn’t they file a police report for over a year? What, if any, changes did they make in their living situation to ensure their four daughters were safe?
But Josh said He felt bad and sought forgiveness
These are worthwhile and biblical actions, we should seek forgiveness from those we hurt. But scripture is clear about the fact that we also must face the natural consequences of our actions and furthermore if we break the law of the land we are under the law of the land.Yet I continue to see many of my Christian brethren display outrage….not at Josh but at anyone who speaks the plain facts of the situation. Josh molested 5 girls and faced almost zero consequences for almost a decade.
He was just a teenager….can’t we move on?
He didn’t steal a candy bar, he felt up his sisters…four of them. Furthermore, TLC has every right to pull their show. They don’t owe him or the family anything. It would be insanity for them to continue to employee the Duggars when clearly the entire family was involved in sweeping this under the rug. What other choice do they have?Yet we as Christians continue to buy into this whole notion that asking forgiveness and feeling bad are magic wands that make it all go away.
What do you mean…Forgive and Forget right?
If I drink and drive and kill someone, the family can forgive me, but their son or daughter is still dead. Consequences of actions don’t change when one is forgiven. Forgiveness means to let go of any deserved wrath, anger, hatred, or malice toward the person, even if they deserve it. It is acknowledging that we all are faulty, sinful, fleshly creatures who make mistakes.But governments are also a gift of God for the orderly procedure of man. Consequences and punishments, and justice systems exist (even bad ones) in order that there can be some level of peace and normalcy in the world.
But Jim Bob went to the police…
Yeah, a year after it happened. And only after emails to his show threatened to expose him and his family. Furthermore, Jim Bob failed to take adequate action to fully protect the victims, his own daughters. Sending someone away for a few months to a friend’s house to help him “remodel” some houses is not sufficient.All sin begins the mind, and then becomes action. When that level of sin (sexual assault/molestation) becomes action, it has spread to serious levels, for even the Bible says that “sexual sin is not like other sin”.
Would you turn your son into the police?
A fair question, but at the very least he could have chosen an inpatient treatment facility or some other long term care that both sought to correct the issue long term and protect his daughters.Furthermore, even after the incident occurred, just 4 years later, Jim Bob chose to move forward with the reality show. And when he chose that path, he chose to expose his own family to the public, therefore one has no leg to stand on when they complain about something like this going public.
A Final Word
We, as Christians, cannot scream persecution when one is suffering for their own actions and their own sin. Nor can we display hatred or anger toward an entity like TLC when they do what is most natural and normal in this situation. We can continue to pray for the Duggar’s and their family that this would draw them closer to God, but let’s all calm down with the persecution talk.The facts are: Fourteen year’s old is a not a child, Josh knew what he was doing. Josh molested four members of his own family…so it didn’t just happen one time. Josh never spent a day inside a prison cell for his crimes. Josh and his family have lived a very comfortable upper-middle class life thanks to this TV show.
Because they are public figures and beloved, they will most likely continue to do well. Actions have consequences and if the worse that happens to a child molester is his TV show gets cancelled and he can’t be an executive at the FAMILY Research Council…then let’s all be honest….he got it pretty easy.
