BluePhantom
Educator (of liberals)
Yes they are horrible parents but it is my understanding that they got all children involved professional help. Assuming that is the case, what more should they have done. And as far as when they went to the police....who cares. VERY few parents would take their kid to the police in this kind of a situation. They would want to handle it internally to save their child from the risk of legal consequences. If your son brushed his fingers over a girl's breasts while she slept would you haul him down to the cops? If you say yes, I say you are full of shit.
Now you're downplaying what Josh actually did. He did this to 4 or 5 (4 sisters I believe) girls. He has a real sickness, and it's a sickness that doesn't go away. I would have sent him to a facility that deals with his type of illness. And I'm not going to assume they sent him or the girls for professional help, because they never stated they took them to a licensed therapist.
Michelle Duggar recounts a story that her husband told his older children “to explain the importance of purity.”
“Imagine that your parents are going to surprise you and give you a brand-new bike for Christmas. Two weeks before Christmas, they buy your bike and hide it in the storage shed in the backyard. But then the boy next door sneaks into the shed and borrows your new bike; he stunt-rides it up and down the back alley.
“On Christmas morning your parents lead you out to the shed to reveal the special gift they bought for you, and as they open the door and say, ‘Surprise!’ they’re just as surprised as you are. You’re all shocked to see that the bike looks like it’s been thrown off a cliff. The front fender is missing, and the front tire is warped so it rubs on the frame. It’s dirty, the paint is all scratched and chipped, and the seat has a big rip in it. It looks worse than something you would have bought at a garage sale.
“I’m sure you would still be grateful for the bike, and you would have fun riding it, but it won’t be in the condition your parents had hoped and dreamed it would be when you received it. You would miss out on a lot of the enjoyment they meant for you to have.
“In that same way, we don’t want any boy (or girl) to come and steal your purity.”
Note the emphasis: The onus to protect your purity is on you. If someone steals your purity, you are a ruined bicycle with warped tires and a ripped seat. Your value has been stolen. Your parents’ dreams are ruined. You are used and cheap and valueless.
This is a horrible thing to tell anyone.
The Duggars’ dangerous cult of purity
Perspective is everything Carla. For example, he released a statement saying he is addicted to porn. Well is he REALLY addicted to porn? Well maybe. I don't know how much porn he watches or how it affects his life. It could be that he watches the same amount of porn as every other man in the world (maybe even less) but because he perceives porn as something terrible and sinful then watching a small amount of porn makes you an addict. Meanwhile, another couple who was raised in a far healthier environment might look at his porn habits and say "pffft...big fucking deal. That is nothing". Now I am not saying he is or isn't a porn addict. That is for him to decide. I am just saying that your perception of "evil" or "good and bad" is going to depend on your background which shapes your perspective and the living environment you have created for yourself or has been thrust upon you.
Now....dont get me wrong. I am not defending this kids actions with these girls....but honestly I have seen a lot worse than brushing fingers over clothed breasts while someone slept. I am not saying that is ok. I am just saying that compared to a lot of other examples of child molestation, it's pretty light. I dated a girl in college whose father did FAR more to her on a weekly basis than brushing his fingers over her when she slept. That girl is fucked for life as a result. So what he did was wrong, yes...but this wasn't exactly hardcore molestation, rape, etc.
BTW...statistically most people who do this as children or adolescents do not continue the behavior as adults.This kid may prove to be the exception...who knows. What I will say is that this is a textbook example of how religion can be destructive when not approached in a healthy way
Do you have any link showing that when a 14 year old molests 4 sisters, some while sleeping, some while awake, he usually outgrows this behavior without any professional counseling? I'd like to see that bit of information.
"Myth:
"Juvenile sex offenders typically are victims of child sexual abuse and grow up to be adult sex offenders."
Fact:
Multiple factors, not just sexual victimization as a child, are associated with the development of sexually offending behavior in youth.
Myth:
"Most sex offenders reoffend."
Fact:
Reconviction data suggest that this is not the case. Further, reoffense rates vary among different types of sex offenders and are related to specific characteristics of the offender and the offense."
CSOM Publications
"In fact, research has demonstrated that juveniles who commit sexual offenses are more likely to recidivate in a nonsexual rather than a sexual manner....
A relatively small percentage of juveniles who commit a sexual offense will sexually reoffend as adults. The message for policymakers is that juveniles who commit sexual offenses are not the same as adult sexual offenders, and that all juveniles who commit a sexual offense do not go on to sexually offend later in life."
Chapter 3: Recidivism of Juveniles Who Commit Sexual Offenses | Sex Offender Management Assessment and Planning Initiative
How Often Do Juvenile Sex Offenders Reoffend?
Juvenile sex offenders appear to respond better to treatment and reoffend less frequently than adult sex offenders. Sexual reoffense rates for youth over several years are estimated at approximately 10%. In addition, if juvenile sex offenders reoffend, they are far more likely to engage in other types of delinquent behavior than to commit new sex crimes.
http://www.csom.org/pubs/needtoknow_fs.pdf
Josh never got any professional treatment.
Josh and his wife are committed to plopping out babies every chance they get, and are planning to have as many as Gawd will allow. Even after all the public humiliation of his juvenile perversions, having to resign from his job, losing the reality show (the bread and butter for the family) Josh has recently been busted for pornography and signing up on a web site to help married people cheat on their spouse, and the dummy used his real name.
So tell me, would you let him babysit your children...your grandchildren?
It's a nice deflection but you overlook the main point. Statistically, according to multiple studies, juvenile offenders re-offend at a very low rate. Your position was that juvenile offenders re-offend at a very high rate. Your position is invalid regardless of whatever spin you wish to put upon it. Just admit you were wrong and move on. Sheesh.