The Duggars: In the Media and TLC

[Fosca]

2 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

Josh won't be back on the show and probably won't be welcomed into any political job either. Maybe with just one scandal, but with the two he is toxic. Add to that the hypocrisy of it all, short of changing his image and say, becoming the proprietor of a marijuana dispensary, he's f**ked.

My apologies to all the proprietors & customers of pot stores - just making a point.

Yup--pretty much the only way Josh has even a snowball's chance in hell of being "redeemed" is if he turns his back on all the Gothard stuff and on his family, writes a tell-all and/or goes on TV to denounce it all and tell what it's really like.  He'd get ratings and lots of money--possibly enough, if he's careful and doesn't have any more kids, to last quite a while. Long enough to change his name, lose some weight and get a vasectomy (and maybe a divorce, which would be good for him and bad for Anna and the kids--it would be better if he got them out too) so he can start a new life.

He won't do it (at least I don't think he will), but I'd watch that show and read the book--I might even pay for it!

[TaxNerd]

14 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

Well, someone posted this yesterday. Irony, anyone?

That looks like a fundie passive aggressive version of "no comment" to the In Touch article.  

[JoanArc]

16 hours ago, RazzleberryPie said:

I think Jessa is an insincere, vain, vapid, Mean Girls Fundie bully, but if she's leading the revolt against Josh being on the show, more power to her.

Jessa's also the daughter with the least going for her, so of course she needs the paycheck the most. Jill's got her grift ministry, Jinger's the hot new thing, Anna had a decent life/income with Josh, and Jana's house servant for life (job security). Jessa is....the pretty one? That's starting to fade. The bitchy one? People are tired of that. She's not domestic, can't really cook, clean or public speak well. She Instagram crap for a living and appears on scripted tv. She's basically 100% dependent on daddy. Two kids, and a childish husband. Her cottage industry of talking about her years-ago wedding to southern women's shows went about as well as you can expect, and no one's hiring the family to give talks anymore. She must be desperate. Good. Maybe once this damn show ends she'll be motivated enough to get a job and get out from under daddy's thumb.

[drafan]

On 9/2/2016 at 10:07 PM, Bitter Betty said:

Does anyone else think that the bigger issue for the siblings is that Josh was caught cheating on Anna and not the fact that he molested his sisters? Given how quickly they were to try to get him forgiven after the molestation scandal was revealed and they're now treating him like a pariah, I feel like they are mad that he was stupid enough to get caught in a second scandel. It's not so much about standing up against their abuser as it is shunning the guy who has ruined their TV opportunities.

Ding ding ding ding ding !!!! This is absolutely it......they hand-waved the molestation away thinking that  would be the end of it and they'd get their show back. The reason they're pissed is they want their TV show back full-time. And the bolding up above is mine...the operative word being "caught".....if it had never been revealed to the public, they probably wouldn't even care, never mind get all sobby about it. They are trying to distance themselves from Josh to 1) make the viewers forget about the molestation scandal, which was actually a CRIME, and 2) to keep their boring-ass show chugging along. Plain and simple.

[Pete Martell]

On 9/3/2016 at 9:32 PM, Churchhoney said:

Can't argue with that. ha   

I still doubt that anybody else would hire him. It's not like he has a track record, even as an active POS on somebody's job. He was just a recognizable face and a buffoon at FRC -- he didn't really do anything that a hand puppet couldn't have done. I really question whether anybody thinks he even has the qualifications to be even halfway effective as a slime bag or a rotten jerk!

You're certainly right that he's probably good and desperate, though -- and would stop at nothing (within his limited capabilities!) to do something about that.

The only reason he likely ever got a job was because the Duggars were popular with "value voters" at that point. Their endorsement mattered. Jim Bob was never popular or influential in politics before TLC. The people they were close to, like Huckabee, have diminished influence. No one will want him. I don't even think the scam artists who ask elderly retirees to pay $25 to help stop the evil _____ agenda taking over the world would go near him.  To survive in that world you have to be really aggressive and very cutthroat - not a pampered, spoilt fool.

Edited September 5, 2016 by Pete Martell

[Pete Martell]

On 9/3/2016 at 8:34 PM, Kokapetl said:

The InTouch thing sounds fake. The producers would be the ones deciding whether or not Josh appears. 

Jim Bob and Michelle are so deluded I could actually see them pushing the kids to try to get the producers onboard - I could even see them trying to threaten a walkout. I doubt the producers pay them much mind at this point and the token appearances every episode are to shut them up. That isn't going to be enough, because they have to "prove" what good people/parents/believers they are by having Josh paraded around.

The sad part is the further the scandal fades the more I could see TLC trying it, if they thought it would goose ratings. 

[Minivanessa]

It's only a little above click-bait level, but recently the Inquisitr ran 19 Duggar Scandals and Counting On: A Look Back at Times Viewers Were Shocked. I give 'em props for digging back into the Debi/Michael Perl era, and citing sources for the listed items.

[Arwen Evenstar]

Most so called Duggar news is click bait and recycled headlines....it's almost as boring as they are.  Other than Joshgate scandals, there is nothing much newsworthy or noteworthy about them, which is why they have an inflated perception of their level of celebrity. 

[JoanArc]

Quote

Jim Bob was never popular or influential in politics before TLC.

You know he was a (bad, completely ineffectual) State Senator, right? He dragged young Josh to a lot of meeting when he really shouldn't have.

 

Edited: Or was he a state rep? and ran for US senate (and got a realty tv show instead). I don't really care anymore, just so long as no Duggar's hand is near a lever of power ever again.

Edited September 5, 2016 by JoanArc

[Minivanessa]

Yep. According to Wikipedia, JB served in the Arkansas House of Representatives, 1999-2002. He then (in 2002 IIRC) ran in the GOP primary for US Senate in a politically suicidal attempt to unseat the incumbent.

On that* election day he and MEchelle walked into the polling place with all their kids lined up, stairstep fashion, behind them. All the boys in red shirts, all the girls and MEchelle in matching red jumpers with white collars. MEchelle was or course pregnant as well. That photo of the family, it has been claimed, caught the eye of somebody at TLC (or of somebody who told somebody at TLC) and the rest is television history infamy.

*I know it was an election day photo stunt, and I believe it was the primary election where he went down in flames in his bid to unseat the GOP incumbent US Senator, a race into which he poured a quarter million dollars of his own funds - while his family was living literally stacked up on top of each other in a rundown 3 bedroom house next to a church.

Edited September 5, 2016 by Jeeves

[JoanArc]

Quote

*I know it was an election day photo stunt, and I believe it was the primary election where he went down in flames in his bid to unseat the GOP incumbent US Senator, a race into which he poured a quarter million dollars of his own funds - while his family was living literally stacked up on top of each other in a rundown 3 bedroom house next to a church.

This was the same time of Josh's, umm, fumblings, too. Yet he still ran. With that. Idiot.

[NewDigs]

4 hours ago, Jeeves said:

Yep. According to Wikipedia, JB served in the Arkansas House of Representatives, 1999-2002. He then (in 2002 IIRC) ran in the GOP primary for US Senate in a politically suicidal attempt to unseat the incumbent.

On that* election day he and MEchelle walked into the polling place with all their kids lined up, stairstep fashion, behind them. All the boys in red shirts, all the girls and MEchelle in matching red jumpers with white collars. MEchelle was or course pregnant as well. That photo of the family, it has been claimed, caught the eye of somebody at TLC (or of somebody who told somebody at TLC) and the rest is television history infamy.

*I know it was an election day photo stunt, and I believe it was the primary election where he went down in flames in his bid to unseat the GOP incumbent US Senator, a race into which he poured a quarter million dollars of his own funds - while his family was living literally stacked up on top of each other in a rundown 3 bedroom house next to a church.

This?

Jana must have been sewing 'til her little fingers bled.

[Vaysh]

Does anyone know what Boob actually did during those 2-3 years as a politician? I'm assuming he tried to ban abortion, contraceptives and gay people but is there a record somewhere of any proposals he put forward or how he voted on other issues? I have a vague memeory of reading on TWoP that he was pretty much considered a one-trick pony obsessed with abortion and that's why he lost so badly, but I don't think I've ever seen any real evidence of what his political platform actually was and what his views on other issues were.

Edited September 5, 2016 by Vaysh

[GeeGolly]

24 minutes ago, Vaysh said:

Does anyone know what Boob actually did during those 2-3 years as a politician? I'm assuming he tried to ban abortion, contraceptives and gay people but is there a record somewhere of any proposals he put forward or how he voted on other issues? I have a vague memeory of reading on TWoP that he was pretty much considered a one-trick pony obsessed with abortion and that's why he lost so badly, but I don't think I've ever seen any real evidence of what his political platform actually was and what his views on other issues were.

According to Google - not much.

Edited September 5, 2016 by GeeGolly

[Churchhoney]

2 hours ago, Vaysh said:

Does anyone know what Boob actually did during those 2-3 years as a politician? I'm assuming he tried to ban abortion, contraceptives and gay people but is there a record somewhere of any proposals he put forward or how he voted on other issues? I have a vague memeory of reading on TWoP that he was pretty much considered a one-trick pony obsessed with abortion and that's why he lost so badly, but I don't think I've ever seen any real evidence of what his political platform actually was and what his views on other issues were...

Well, the rumor has always been that he never actually even showed up in the building unless there was a vote on abortion or some other birth-control-related item. I expect that's true. Since the Arkansas Republicans were mostly quite solidly opposed to his stupid bid to take Tim Hutchinson's seat. And since he is an idjit. And his mind doesn't have more than one track -- if that many. And, of course, the track is sex. ... Proving that, yes, he is an idjit.

 

ETA: Oh, I malign him. He did show up for something else. He showed up to vote in favor of a Jim Holt bill that was supposed to prohibit the state from purchasing any literature or whatever that supported FALSE OR FRAUDULENT CLAIMS ... And Holt and his pals (among whom JBD was numbered at the time -- guess the rumored Smuggar-did-wrong-to-Holt's-daughter-thing hadn't happened or at least come to light yet) counted SCIENTIFIC THINGS CONSIDERED EVIDENCE OF AND ARGUMENTS FOR EVOLUTION among those false claims, while CHICK TRACTS were named among the true and accurate stuff. Argh.

Jim Bob Duggar [Voted Yes 03/23]

http://www.antievolution.org/topics/law/ar_hb2548/

EATA: Oh, I do so hope that one day at least one of his children, or even a grandchild or a Duggar-adjacent wakes up enough to be deeply embarrassed by this. ... Is that too much to ask? Really? Seriously? ... and yet I'm afraid that it is ....

Edited September 6, 2016 by Churchhoney

[JoanArc]

I want to vomit every time I see the picture. It's right when all the shit was going down. It's just a visceral disgust. I'm still so incredibly perplexed these fools are on TV.

Edited September 6, 2016 by JoanArc

[Churchhoney]

Just now, JoanArc said:

I want to vomit every time I see the picture. It's right when all the shot was going down. It's just a visceral disgust. I'm still so incredibly perplexed these fools are on TV.

Me too. The picture, which I believe I saw in a British paper when I was researching Hutchinson's electoral troubles, is what first alerted me to the horror that is the Duggars. I was riveted and horrified and they weren't even on tv yet. When they got onto tv, my horror skyrocketed. And has remained sky-high ever since, of course.

[louannems]

2 hours ago, NewDigs said:

This?

Jana must have been sewing 'til her little fingers bled.

Those 2 girls directly behind Michelle don't look like Duggars.  I can see Jana, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, and I'm guessing Joy towards the back behind a little Howler.

[Churchhoney]

Just now, louannems said:

Those 2 girls directly behind Michelle don't look like Duggars.  I can see Jana, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, and I'm guessing Joy towards the back behind a little Howler.

Yes. There are two mystery non-Duggar girls in those photos. I've never seen anybody with an explanation of who or what they are.

My theory is that they're succubi.

[louannems]

I quickly googled that!  LOL

[Love2dance]

44 minutes ago, Churchhoney said:

My theory is that they're succubi.

Well, there's a new word I will never figure out how to use in casual conversation.  ?

And boy, am I impressed with your vocabulary.

[louannems]

56 minutes ago, Churchhoney said:

Yes. There are two mystery non-Duggar girls in those photos. I've never seen anybody with an explanation of who or what they are.

My theory is that they're succubi.

So Jana just happened to have 2 extra costumes laying around?

[Sew Sumi]

Holt girls? They were thick as thieves back then. Maybe the Query girls? 

That's all I've got, y'all.

[Pete Martell]

17 hours ago, JoanArc said:

You know he was a (bad, completely ineffectual) State Senator, right? He dragged young Josh to a lot of meeting when he really shouldn't have.

 

Edited: Or was he a state rep? and ran for US senate (and got a realty tv show instead). I don't really care anymore, just so long as no Duggar's hand is near a lever of power ever again.

Yes. That was part of what I was talking about. He was mostly seen as an oddity.

[Churchhoney]

9 hours ago, louannems said:

So Jana just happened to have 2 extra costumes laying around?

Well, she was just learning to make all the family clothes at that point. She probably had to churn out about a hundred of those outfits, for practice.

It's a wonder she hasn't become an axe murderer by now. Seriously. Talk about "meek."

Of course, if those girls really were succubi, as I suspect, their outfits were probably metaphysical illusions of some sort. ; )
 

[queenanne]

I'd bet on extra mother's helpers. Who's the stout jolly-looking little fellow clinging to Boob's hand?

[Lemur]

On 9/4/2016 at 0:54 PM, JoanArc said:

Jessa's also the daughter with the least going for her, so of course she needs the paycheck the most. Jill's got her grift ministry, Jinger's the hot new thing, Anna had a decent life/income with Josh, and Jana's house servant for life (job security). Jessa is....the pretty one? That's starting to fade. The bitchy one? People are tired of that. She's not domestic, can't really cook, clean or public speak well. She Instagram crap for a living and appears on scripted tv. She's basically 100% dependent on daddy. Two kids, and a childish husband. Her cottage industry of talking about her years-ago wedding to southern women's shows went about as well as you can expect, and no one's hiring the family to give talks anymore. She must be desperate. Good. Maybe once this damn show ends she'll be motivated enough to get a job and get out from under daddy's thumb.

And that's the sad thing about Jessa.  Born to another couple, she might well be working on a business degree after spending the summer interning at Goldman Sachs.  But because she has the douchebag parents of the century, she's playing the hand she was dealt and if what they say is true and if she really is leading this revolt, good on her.  She's exerting what power she has and doing it wisely.  She has complete control over her spouse, a television show she's wrestling away from her idiot father and the moral high ground to do it.  That said, it doesn't mean she could be nicer to her non-Josh siblings.  At least she seems to love that little boy.  I just hope the attraction doesn't fade when he reaches the age where she no longer can dress him up for Instagram pictures and has to treat him like a person and not a lifestyle accessory.

[Fosca]

10 hours ago, louannems said:

So Jana just happened to have 2 extra costumes laying around?

Nah, I'd say it's deliberate, to boost the numbers and make them look even more impressive.

I just cannot look at that picture without flashing back to "The Handmaid's Tale".

[Churchhoney]

1 hour ago, queenanne said:

I'd bet on extra mother's helpers. Who's the stout jolly-looking little fellow clinging to Boob's hand?

I don't remember exactly when those pictures were taken, but I'm thinking maybe Jason? I think the twins would be a hair too old to look like that.

[Pachengala]

21 minutes ago, Churchhoney said:

I don't remember exactly when those pictures were taken, but I'm thinking maybe Jason? I think the twins would be a hair too old to look like that.

Oh man, I thought @queenanne was jokingly referring to Michelle and I laughed for like a full minute. 

[Absolom]

1 hour ago, Fosca said:

Nah, I'd say it's deliberate, to boost the numbers and make them look even more impressive.

I just cannot look at that picture without flashing back to "The Handmaid's Tale".

Lying one way or the other all along.

[Churchhoney]

2 hours ago, Pachengala said:

Oh man, I thought @queenanne was jokingly referring to Michelle and I laughed for like a full minute. 

LOL   Maybe she was!

[ginger90]

Parents leading the line, backs to their children. Perfection.

[BitterApple]

1 hour ago, ginger90 said:

Parents leading the line, backs to their children. Perfection.

Yep, pretty typical, right? And Josh at the back responsible for keeping 14 children in line. 

[Aja]

2 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

Yep, pretty typical, right? And Josh at the back responsible for keeping 14 children in line. 

Considering what had literally JUST HAPPENED...barf.

[Missy Vixen]

8 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

Yes. That was part of what I was talking about. He was mostly seen as an oddity.

One has to wonder what the other people attending church with the Duggars thought about them at that point, too. An able-bodied man without meaningful work who insisted on impregnating his wife as often as humanly possible, despite the fact they couldn't afford to support the children they already had?

It's astonishing to me that nobody from that former church has come forward to "tell the truth in love" yet.

[Aja]

Apparently there were people side-eyeing the Duggars marching out the robo-kids for the Senate campaign before they were even famous. Members of their own "congregation", or at least their own demographic. Us librul apostate/haters here on PTV are far from the only detractors. 

There have been a few anonymous tipsters over the years who have spoken to this; most notably, a woman who witnessed the girls "forgiving" Josh in front of a congregation for molesting them. This was years before Joshgate 1 broke, and she was pretty uniformly dismissed as a troll or someone with a vendetta against the Duggars who was making outrageous, sick accusations. 

So the people are out there, but they're either too indoctrinated themselves or too worried about the lawsuits they'd be slapped with for telling the truth.

[Missy Vixen]

15 minutes ago, Aja said:

So the people are out there, but they're either too indoctrinated themselves or too worried about the lawsuits they'd be slapped with for telling the truth.

KJB does not have enough money to sue everyone who used to go to that church. He's also a public person, which means the standard for slander/libel is much higher than it would be for someone who doesn't have a reality show.

I've also wondered how many people in that corner of Arkansas truly needed help (while the Duggars were bleeding that congregation dry) and couldn't get it.

[DoctorWhovian]

On September 5, 2016 at 6:55 PM, Churchhoney said:

Yes. There are two mystery non-Duggar girls in those photos. I've never seen anybody with an explanation of who or what they are.

My theory is that they're succubi.

They're the two J-kids who read a book questioned the Duggar lifestyle and were never heard from again.

[Sew Sumi]

Kind of like the brother on Happy Days who went upstairs to wax his skis and was never heard from again. LOL

[Celia Rubenstein]

Chuck!

[Churchhoney]

6 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

Kind of like the brother on Happy Days who went upstairs to wax his skis and was never heard from again. LOL

And the Duggars say they're not a tv family!

[Dianaofthehunt]

How Michelle could have willingly infantilized herself by dressing like that!

"Yes, I'm just a slightly older version of my girls, and certainly no more important than any of them."

[Rabbittron]

4 hours ago, Churchhoney said:

And the Duggars say they're not a tv family!

No they are just a family on tv playing a family on tv.

[GeeGolly]

Kind of continuing the conversation from the Jill & Derick thread...

Michelle & Jim Bob really have no clue as parents. None at all. But I don't think their parenting is will evil intent. I think they're clueless idiots who believe some idiotic stuff. And it sucks that 19 kids suffer for it.

At this point I'm glad they continue on TV because it is like a real time glimpse into cult-think, and leaving it out there for the world to see is surely saving some souls.

And again, not to defend JB & M but as far as Josie; I've met a few parents in denial of any difference their child shows, but fortunately these children are seen by pediatricians and eventually teachers, and they will help the parents recognize and receive any services the children need. Poor Josie and her siblings probably rarely see an MD, and obviously will never step foot in a school.

I find being involved in this forum helpful as far as the bullshit of life out there. It's great to read all the thoughtful and intelligent opinions and see things from so many perspectives. I think we all stay because most here do not wish anything bad for the Duggars. Most are wishing for better things.

And of course how crazy lit up would this place get if something good and normal would happen to a Duggar!

[Aja]

1 minute ago, GeeGolly said:

And of course how crazy lit up would this place get if something good and normal would happen to a Duggar!

I agree. I certainly feel that we, on these forums, care more about the well-being of the Duggar kids and grandkids than their blindly worshipful followers. Boob and Xanaxia can go to hell, but I've always hung around because I have undying hope for the kids.  I so want to see them overcome this horrible nightmare circus and reach their full potential as human beings. Even Josh. I have no doubt that what he went through as a child heavily influenced the acts he committed as a teenager and adult; while this doesn't excuse him, and while he is an adult now who desperately needs to step up to the plate, I consider him very much a victim too. A victim who needs to put on his big boy pants now.

[Missy Vixen]

5 hours ago, Dianaofthehunt said:

How Michelle could have willingly infantilized herself by dressing like that!

 

 

Please tell me she does not call him "Daddy" when she's being "joyfully available".

2 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

And again, not to defend JB & M but as far as Josie; I've met a few parents in denial of any difference their child shows, but fortunately these children are seen by pediatricians and eventually teachers, and they will help the parents recognize and receive any services the children need. Poor Josie and her siblings probably rarely see an MD, and obviously will never step foot in a school.

 

1

While I am thinking of things that will get me sent to the Prayer Closet, one has to wonder if the decision to not send any of those kids to a public school is less rooted in their "religion" and more rooted in keeping them away from mandatory reporters. I get that parents can be in denial when their children are shown to have a learning disability or may not be developing at the same rate as other children. I'm astounded that NOBODY on either side of KJB or J-Chelle's family has made any attempt to reason with them about getting help for the kids who allegedly have learning disorders, or (since they're so big on fiscal responsibility) show them via pen and paper how their children are unsuited to fend for themselves in any way, shape or form and how much it will cost them as a result.

One has to believe that the "keep away from mandatory reporters" must have started when they went full-on fundie and started listening to whackjobs like the Pearls. It seems their former church must have protected them previously; the fact that KJB spent a quarter mil on a doomed Senate campaign while his wife and 14 kids were living in a 3 bedroom house with insufficient food to eat should have prompted at least a look-see by Arkansas' version of CPS. It was interesting to note how quickly the Duggars' glowing recommendations of the Pearls' book was scrubbed off of their website and out of their promotional stuff when they realized that most people who aren't fundie nuts consider "blanket training" infants abusive.

The children don't see the doctor/dentist/any other medical professional alone. They go to "church" at home, surrounded by immediate family and those who are handpicked supporters. The only kidult who has a job outside of the TTH is John David; he's not going to squeal because KJB furnished him with a plane and pilot lessons. I realize I am cynical, but one has to wonder about the purposeful isolation of their children.

[Sew Sumi]

They've admitted that "some" of their kids have/had LDs, but never specified who or what LDs they have/had. I remember James seeming to be very ADD when he was younger, and Jackson still exhibits signs of ADD. And my god, look at poor Grossie Josie who is nothing short of feral. Who is diagnosing them, or are KJB/Moochelle just making blanket statements about kids who may not be as bright as someone like Jessa. Would they ever recognize dyslexia? At least they noticed that Jenni needed glasses, although I've only seen the girl wearing them maybe twice in two years. I imagine the only reason Jenni got glasses was because Jill was still sister-momming her then, and may have actually noticed that the kid was having problems in some manner (they never elaborated on what her issue is). 

I definitely have more questions than answers on this subject. 

[GeeGolly]

I recall Michelle saying that Jim Bob spoke to her about his learning difficulties and that helped her to realize that the kids may learn differently from each other. They make quite a pair.

[Churchhoney]

15 hours ago, Missy Vixen said:

Please tell me she does not call him "Daddy" when she's being "joyfully available".

While I am thinking of things that will get me sent to the Prayer Closet, one has to wonder if the decision to not send any of those kids to a public school is less rooted in their "religion" and more rooted in keeping them away from mandatory reporters. I get that parents can be in denial when their children are shown to have a learning disability or may not be developing at the same rate as other children. I'm astounded that NOBODY on either side of KJB or J-Chelle's family has made any attempt to reason with them about getting help for the kids who allegedly have learning disorders, or (since they're so big on fiscal responsibility) show them via pen and paper how their children are unsuited to fend for themselves in any way, shape or form and how much it will cost them as a result.

One has to believe that the "keep away from mandatory reporters" must have started when they went full-on fundie and started listening to whackjobs like the Pearls. It seems their former church must have protected them previously; the fact that KJB spent a quarter mil on a doomed Senate campaign while his wife and 14 kids were living in a 3 bedroom house with insufficient food to eat should have prompted at least a look-see by Arkansas' version of CPS. It was interesting to note how quickly the Duggars' glowing recommendations of the Pearls' book was scrubbed off of their website and out of their promotional stuff when they realized that most people who aren't fundie nuts consider "blanket training" infants abusive.

The children don't see the doctor/dentist/any other medical professional alone. They go to "church" at home, surrounded by immediate family and those who are handpicked supporters. The only kidult who has a job outside of the TTH is John David; he's not going to squeal because KJB furnished him with a plane and pilot lessons. I realize I am cynical, but one has to wonder about the purposeful isolation of their children.

In my opinion, the whole reason they embrace this "religion" -- and, in fact, the whole reason for the cult and similar cults being founded -- is to control others at will without any interference and using any means necessary. That, and no other reason, is why they purposefully isolate their children.

I know I've said it about a million times and I'm sure everybody's sick of hearing me say it, but honestly the idea that this shit has anything to do with beliefs or theologies about god, or the meaning of life, or morality or any such excuses is completely wrong. This and similar cults -- and all their rules about homeschooling and so on -- were invented and sustained for the sole purpose of giving cover for a bunch of insecure, control-freaky people to exercise all the control over others (notably their offspring and, in the case of the men, women) that their neurotic little brains demand while the rest of the world is fooled into thinking that it's all some kind of religious exercise and thus permissible.

If this were not the case, these so-called "religious' people wouldn't behave just exactly like other nutso mean narcissistic control freaks who do it without benefit of religion. Their "Christian churches" give them cover to do exactly what they want, with all their doors closed and the law largely on their side, no matter what "exactly what they want" may be.  We fetishize the morality and overwhelming importance and truth of "Christian religion" and neurotic, rotten nuts are sometimes the beneficiaries.

I will add that, by and large, I'm sure most of them don't realize any of this. Denial, self-centeredness and being a dim bulb largely keep you from being conscious of exactly what kind of jerk you are, I think.

Edited September 10, 2016 by Churchhoney