The Political Freakshow

Meet The GOP’s Newest Anti-Gay Bigot To Join The Ranks (And Possibly Be Contending In 2016): Josh Duggar, The Eldest Son of Christian “Quiverfull” Couple Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar

Josh Duggar, the eldest son of TLC’s “19 Kids And Counting” is moving to Washington, D.C. to head the political action arm of Tony Perkins’ anti-gay hate group, FRC Action. The Family Research Council is listed by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an anti-gay hate group. The eldest Duggar sibling and his wife, Anna, just celebrated the birth of their third child.

Teasing the announcement, Perkins said, ”We want to congratulate Josh and Anna Duggar on the birth of Marcus. They have been an inspiration to millions of Americans who regularly tune in to see the Duggar family’s show. All of us at Family Research Council have long appreciated their devotion to the pro-family movement.”

Josh Duggar talked about the possibility back in March. ”Josh confirmed that he will be working with a Christian organization to help promote ‘family values and right to life.’”

Excited to announce I’ll be joining @FRCAction as Executive Director in Washington, DC! So grateful for this opportunity to serve! @FRCdc

— Josh Duggar (@joshduggar) June 17, 2013

GLAAD weighed in yesterday:

Duggar said that he will be working on the 501c4 side of the organization, which is more politically driven. He can’t even claim he’s just going to shape the culture.

Now that Josh Duggar has accepted a position at such an anti-gay organization, he has become a full-fledged anti-gay activist. What does this mean for TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting? Will TLC allow it to become a mainstream outlet for FRC’s dangerous message? What about the Duggar family’s appearances in other media? Will his work with one of the most vile anti-gay organizations in America be legitimized there?

“If Josh Duggar wants to make a living dehumanizing and denigrating LGBT people and their families, that’s his business, but FRC’s lies and stereotypes need to be treated as such,” said GLAAD Spokesperson Wilson Cruz. “Josh’s new boss Tony Perkins has actually accused LGBT equality advocates of being pawns of the devil.  Fans of his family’s reality show ought to know that.”

Josh Duggar is clearly enamored with the Tea Party and the rabidly anti-gay right. A quick glance through his Facebook photos shows him arm in arm with Republican extremists Rick Santorum and Rand Paul.

Jeremy Hooper at Good As You adds:

But don’t even try, TLC network, to position Josh’s story as something that should warm the fires within my own heart and home. That ship has sailed. This TLC star is going to be paid to spearhead a quest that seeks to diminish, if not completely extinguish, all that I hold dear within my own marriage, family, and home. Forget carefully edited reality TV—for me and millions of others, this crap just got really real. For real.

UPDATE: The Family Research Council, the vehemently anti-gay organization that Josh Duggar just announced that he will be working for, has been officially recognized by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group. As you will read here, it most certainly earns that distinctive infamous label that is shared by the Ku Klux Klan and the Westboro Baptist Church.

Josh and his family can no longer hide behind the guise of a “reality TV show” to further their controversial political and religious beliefs on millions of Americans. Just as they (and other conservatives) have fussed about other TV shows and movies furthering views, 19 Kids and Counting furthers controversial political and religious views. Beliefs such as birth begins at conception, that women need to have lots of babies, that women should not have to work at all to provide for their families, and others make what seem like an innocent reality TV show a vehicle for right-wing extremism, especially extreme right-wing extremism.

The Duggars believe in the controversial Quiverfull movement, and are adherents to that belief system in Christianity. Here’s a primer below:

Patriarchy ~ this is the belief that by God’s perfect design, it is the father who is the head of the home ~ in his leadership capacity, the father serves as protector, provider and shepherd for his wife and children. He is primarily responsible for the wife’s and children’s physical, emotional and spiritual well-being and with such responsibility comes the (divinely granted) commensurate authority over the members of his household. According to this view, God works through the father and he serves as an intermediary for his wife and children. Honor, obedience and submission are highly valued qualities because they are necessary to maintain order and work together to accomplish the Lord’s vision for a godly family.

Courtship or Betrothal instead of dating ~ the father’s protection of and authority over his children extends especially to the choosing of a mate. In this system, the fathers play a very influential role in the “courtship” process. Every family seems to have its own take on exactly how courtship is to be carried out. Typically, if a young man is interested in a particular girl, he will consult with his father who then approaches the father of the young lady to discuss the possibility of a potential match. If the girl’s father is in agreement, he will then talk to his daughter ~ and if she shows an interest, the courtship (or betrothal ~ which is as binding as marriage) begins and this basically means that the couple is serious about getting married. The parents are in control of the relationship at all times. The couple is not to be alone together. The courtship / betrothal period is usually brief and it is expected that the couple will experience their first kiss at the marriage altar. At that time, the father’s authority over the daughter is transferred to her new husband.

Sheltering of the children ~ the home school mindset includes the basic belief that children are to be protected and sheltered from “the world” ~ outside influences which could be detrimental to the child’s spiritual well-being. It is often quoted that “foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child” ~ this coupled with the scripture which says, “a companion of fools shall be ruined,” leads to the logical conclusion that children (fools) should not be socialized by other children (fools) ~ but instead should learn social skills from adults. Isolation and control of outside influences is not only considered normal and good ~ it is the godly approach to childrearing.

Biblical Manhood and Womanhood ~ the teaching is that God designed males and females to fulfill distinct roles and that men and women cannot be truly satisfied unless they are consistently filling their special role as a man or woman of God. Men are to be leaders, teachers, initiators, protectors and providers. Women are created to be “helpmeets” to the men in authority over them (husbands, fathers, older brothers) ~ they are to be submissive and yielding. Their primary sphere of influence comes from their role as wives and mothers. The woman’s home is her ministry and her children are her mission field.

Being debt-free and independent of government programs/subsidies ~ adoption of this ideal often leads to financial hardship and deprivation in large families. In order to achieve financial independence, a QF/P family will often move to a rural location or live in sub-standard housing. Wives often operate businesses out of their home, often employing the children to help with the work, in order to supplement the husband’s income. Refusal of government assistance sometimes means that these families go without medical insurance ~ a situation which can influence the parents to choose “natural remedies,” home birth, and similar non-medical approaches to family health.

Home Church / Family-Integrated Church ~ because the family (primarily the father) is seen as the primary conveyor of spiritual guidance and teaching, QF/P families often seek fellowship with like-minded families in a setting which is not age-segregated. The children worship and learn alongside their parents and peer-interaction is closely monitored by the adults / young adults who are present.

Modesty ~ a girl or woman whose clothing is “revealing” is guilty of “defrauding” her Christian “brother” ~ because she is tempting him with impure thoughts in relation to a body (hers) which is not rightfully his to possess. Quiverfull females often wear dresses only ~ many will also wear a head covering as a sign of a woman’s submission to her “head” ~ that is, her husband.

Not all Quiverfull families subscribe to all of the family values listed above ~ and not all accept and practice these teachings to the same degree. There are Quiverfull families which do not home school. There are Quiverfull couples who, while paying lip-service to the “husband as head” mandate, in actual practice are much more egalitarian (mutual submission) when it comes to the decision-making process.

Generally the longer a Christian family is involved in the home school community, the more deeply they become involved in this “family values” lifestyle ~ it is a process which transforms a “normal” family into a patriarchal cult completely at odds with the general population. In fact, the more “peculiar” (set apart) the family becomes, the more they consider themselves “true believers” following “the narrow way” as opposed to their neighbors who are on the “broad path which leads to destruction.”

The women of America should be scared. Very scared. Especially if Josh Duggar even hints at running for President in 2016. However, I doubt that he is old enough to do so.

Regardless, the candidate that he and his entire family (and I mean all 19 kids) endorsed in the 2012 election, Mitt Romney, unequivocally endorsed the Quiverfull movement.

American women, this is what your future looks like if the Republicans get the White House back, especially if it’s a Tea Party candidate.