RandySF
RandySF's JournalWhat Is Quiverfull? Here’s a look inside the Duggars’ dangerous Christian cult
Quiverfull is the idea that truly godly families will “trust the Lord” with their family planning. Children are viewed as unmitigated blessings (“As arrows in the hand of the mighty man, so are the children of ones youth, happy is the man who hath his quiver full of them”) and as such, the couple is willing to have as many children as the Lord chooses to bless them with. Artificial or chemical birth control such as the Pill or IUDs are equated with abortion: the sin of murdering your own offspring. “Natural” birth control such as Natural Family Planning is not actually “natural” because a couple must abstain at the very time of the month when the woman is naturally more desirous of physical intimacy. All methods of “conception control” are considered a lack of trust in God to provide for the “children of the righteous.”
Radically Pro-Life – A.K.A. “Quiverfull,” “allowing the Lord to plan our family,” or “trusting God with our family planning.” It is this ideal which has resulted in our having quite a few more than the average number of children. Why do Christians seek to limit the size of their families through the use of chemical birth control? The truth be told, our reasoning generally parallels that of the abortion culture – additional children will cause inconvenience, financial hardships, lifestyle constraints – all this coupled with the desire to separate sex from procreation. How can the Church expect to speak with any moral authority on the evils of abortion when we ourselves are guilty of the very anti-life values fueled by the family planning mentality?
I say that the term “Quiverfull” is “unfortunate” because, I don’t believe that many who are involved in this lifestyle would label themselves as “Quiverfull,” and also because it implies a special focus on the anti-birth control aspect of the lifestyle which is not necessarily primary among those who have adopted some or all of the beliefs associated with what might more aptly be called “the Christian family renewal movement” or the practice of “biblical family values.”
(A mouthful, I know … which is why we continue to refer to this lifestyle as “Quiverfull” and often “QF/P” to include the patriarchal teachings as well.)
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/05/what-is-quiverfull-heres-a-look-inside-the-duggars-dangerous-christian-cult/
Mom of gun-toting Quiverfull family: Josh Duggar was ‘playing doctor,’ so leave him alone
Responding to criticism of the Christian “Quiverfull” movement, the wife of a Texas pastor who promotes the “be fruitful, and multiply” philosophy, took to Facebook to explain that admitted child-molester Josh Duggar was “playing doctor” as a teen and should be “left alone to live a good life.”
The conservative fundamentalist Quiverfull movement sees children as a blessing from God and promotes constant procreation, eschewing all forms of birth control.
In her rant on Facebook, Carrie Hurd, wife of Heritage Covenant Church Pastor Patrick Hurd, blasted Quiverfull critic Vyckie Garrison for being critical of Duggar, and Christians in general.
Despite having her own Facebook account, Hurd used her husband’s account to address Garrison and defend Duggar who stepped down from his position with the Family Research Council after it was revealed that he molested five young girls — including his sisters — when he was in his teens.
“Vyckie, this is actually Pat’s wife, Carrie. You women want parity in the board room and you want equal wages all the way up the ladder, but when it comes to taking responsibility and being equal in other areas, it is always the man’s fault or responsibility. How many women bait, hit first, but are seldom arrested for abuse………….?” she wrote.
She then compared the then-14-year-old Duggar’s actions to children “playing doctor.”
“When I was a kid, it was often called ‘playing doctor’, there were just as many girls initiating this kind of behavior as boys. Most of those never went on to perp horrible things, ” she explained. “The Duggers, who I have never watched–am not a fan, did it properly and the 14 year old boy should probably be left alone to live a good life, just like girls who do the same thing.”
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/05/mom-of-gun-toting-quiverfull-family-14-year-old-josh-duggar-was-playing-doctor-so-leave-him-alone/
"Beautiful Mind" John Nash, Wife Die in Jersey Cab Wreck
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — John Forbes Nash Jr., a mathematical genius whose struggle with schizophrenia was chronicled in the 2001 movie "A Beautiful Mind," has died along with his wife in a car crash on the New Jersey Turnpike. He was 86.
Nash and Alicia Nash, 82, of Princeton Township, were killed in a taxi crash Saturday, state police said. A colleague who had received an award with Nash in Norway earlier in the week said they had just flown home and the couple had taken a cab home from the airport.
Russell Crowe, who portrayed Nash in "A Beautiful Mind," tweeted that he was "stunned."
"An amazing partnership," he wrote. "Beautiful minds, beautiful hearts."
Known as brilliant and eccentric, Nash was associated with Princeton University for many years, most recently serving as a senior research mathematician. He won the Nobel Prize in economics in 1994 for his work in game theory, which offered insight into the dynamics of human rivalry. It is considered one of the most influential ideas of the 20th century.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/john-nash-wife-die-in-jersey-cab-wreck
Kathleen Matthews, Democratic candidate for Congress, donated $2,600 to Republican Sen. Roy Blunt
WASHINGTON -- Former D.C. news anchor Kathleen Matthews is expected to enter the race for Maryland’s open 8th District seat soon. As a Democratic congressional candidate, she may have to answer some awkward questions about recent campaign contributions she made to a Republican senator.
Despite a long history of giving to Democrats, Matthews, who is married to MSNBC host Chris Matthews, gave a maximum $2,600 contribution to GOP Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri in November 2014. Blunt is running for re-election next year. He is one of a handful of Republicans targeted by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee as the Democrats seek to win back control of the upper chamber.
“Kathleen Matthews has contributed to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer, John Delaney, Tim Kaine, Mark Warner, Amy Klobuchar, Debbie Dingell, Bob Casey, Ed Markey, Ben Cardin, Alison Lundergan Grimes, Steny Hoyer, Don Beyer, Bob Menendez, and Senator Roy Blunt who she got to know through her work on travel and tourism,” said Matthews spokesman Ethan Susseles in a statement, reeling off a long list of Democrats.
Matthews' work on “travel and tourism” came as executive vice president for Marriott International, a position she resigned on May 20 in anticipation of launching her congressional campaign. Her contribution to Blunt can be understood in the context of that job and the senator’s support for Marriott’s business interests.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/22/kathleen-matthews-congress_n_7424374.html
Church disciplines wife for wanting to divorce husband who admitted paedophile leanings
A Dallas megachurch is facing accusations that it has failed to deal with one of its members who viewed images of child abuse and instead made his wife a subject of church discipline.
The 10,000-member Village Church, whose lead pastor is Matt Chandler, supported two of its members, Jordan and Karen Root, in their work with the SIM USA mission organisation in East Asia. Jordan Root was found to have been viewing child pornography and his appointment with SIM was terminated following an investigation and his admission of guilt.
Jordan Root entered what the church called a "process of walking in repentance" and the church was told: "1 John 1
reminds us that he is washed clean of all unrighteousness, met with forgiveness, and granted fellowship with the body. Even with egregious sin, we are now called to reaffirm our love for him." He was removed from ministry and reported to the authorities. He was allowed to attend worship at the church if he was accompanied by a member, and also forbidden to enter the church's children's ministry building.
Karen Root – now Karen Hinkley – took steps to have her marriage annulled and resigned her membership of the church. However, The Village Church has a strict 'covenant' membership policy which includes the commitment: "I will seek to preserve the gift of marriage and agree to walk through the steps of marriage reconciliation at The Village Church before pursuing divorce from my spouse."
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/church.disciplines.wife.for.wanting.to.divorce.husband.who.admitted.paedophile.leanings/54480.htm
Michelle Duggar accepted ‘Mother of the Year’ awards while covering up daughters' molestation
At the same time that Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar were covering up the fact that their eldest son Josh was molesting young girls — including his sisters — the mother of 19 was traveling around the country accepting awards for being “Mother of the Year.”
One of the awards she received was from a pastor who later left his ministry after admitting to adultery.
In a 2004 profile on CBS, entitled “What a Mother!” Michelle Duggar is quoted as saying, “We actually didn’t set out to have a large number of children. I don’t think that was our intention when we were first married. But I think we realized children are a gift.”
The CBS story on the Duggars was built upon Michelle Duggar being given the “Young Mother of the Year Award” in Arkansas, sponsored by American Mothers Incorporated.
At the time of that award, Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar were a year or two removed from hushing up the child molestation scandal that burst upon the scene this week.
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/05/watch-michelle-duggar-accept-mother-of-the-year-award-from-pastor-who-resigned-for-adultery/
Duggar Parents Placed Son in Christian Treatment Facility whose Leader was Caught Molesting Girls
After Josh Duggar admitted to his parents Jim Bob and Michelle that he had fondled multiple minor females in his home, his parents say they were swift to move into action, and get him treatment. Only RadarOnline.com can reveal the faith-based center, founded by a controversial figure.
Radar has identified the facility as the Insitute in Basic Life Principles Training Center in Little Rock, founded by Bill Gothard. Gothard was previously accused of sexually grooming and inappropriately touching young women in his ministry, and while he was later cleared of any wrongdoing, he resigned amid the scandal.
Today, the centers claim to “strengthen individuals and families through sound Biblical teaching and character development opportunities and to demonstrate Christ’s love through serving,” according to a church website.
Today, the centers claim to “strengthen individuals and families through sound Biblical teaching and character development opportunities and to demonstrate Christ’s love through serving,” according to a church website.
http://radaronline.com/celebrity-news/josh-duggar-sex-scandal-rehab-treatment-center-little-rock/
The Duggars' Homeschooling Method Blames Victims In Abuse
How surprising is it that the Duggar family did their darndest to cover up the fact that their eldest son, Josh, molested five girls, including some of his sisters? Not very, to anyone familiar with the Advanced Training Institute, the homeschooling method the 19 Kids and Counting family used for their brood. First, there's the fact that the institute's founder, Bill Gothard, has himself been accused of molesting four women, and harrassing 34 women.
There's an entire website, called Recovering Grace, devoted to the young people who suffered abuse while being raised with the ATI's teachings. That site is the source of a document from the late 1990s, which was sent to ATI families to address sexual abuse in the home, based on the case of another boy who admitted to molesting his younger siblings, years before Duggar's 2002 incidents. It equates the "tragedy" of that boy's actions with the damage done to the family's reputation and implies that part of the blame lies in the immodesty of his baby sisters and the fact that he was asked to change their diapers. Another document outlines how to counsel victims of sexual abuse. It asks whether God might have let abuse happen because of the victim's "immodest dress," "indecent exposure," or even "being evil with friends." If the victim is not to blame (!!!), he or she should be taught that being physically abused will lead to having a stronger spirit.
We have no idea if these documents were literally followed by the Duggars themselves. But they have treated this situation as if it's an indiscretion best left in the past. "When Josh was a young teenager, he made some very bad mistakes, and we were shocked," Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar said in a statement to People. "We had tried to teach him right from wrong. That dark and difficult time caused us to seek God like never before."
None of their words address the trauma done to their daughters, and the statements on the family Facebook page only address how this affects the abuser, Josh, who wrote: "I understood that if I continued down this wrong road that I would end up ruining my life." What about the lives of the girls he has admitted to assaulting?
http://www.refinery29.com/2015/05/87984/duggar-homeschooling-method-sexual-abuse
Huckabee Squashed Charges Against His Son For Stoning, Hanging Dog (From 2007)
As Mike Huckabee gains in the polls, the former Arkansas governor is finding that his record in office is getting more scrutiny. One issue likely to get attention is his handling of a sensitive family matter: allegations that one of his sons was involved in the hanging of a stray dog at a Boy Scout camp in 1998. The incident led to the dismissal of David Huckabee, then 17, from his job as a counselor at Camp Pioneer in Hatfield, Ark. It also prompted the local prosecuting attorney— bombarded with complaints generated by a national animal-rights group—to write a letter to the Arkansas state police seeking help investigating whether David and another teenager had violated state animal-cruelty laws. The state police never granted the request, and no charges were ever filed. But John Bailey, then the director of Arkansas's state police, tells NEWSWEEK that Governor Huckabee's chief of staff and personal lawyer both leaned on him to write a letter officially denying the local prosecutor's request. Bailey, a career officer who had been appointed chief by Huckabee's Democratic predecessor, said he viewed the lawyer's intervention as improper and terminated the conversation. Seven months later, he was called into Huckabee's office and fired. "I've lost confidence in your ability to do your job," Bailey says Huckabee told him. One reason Huckabee cited was "I couldn't get you to help me with my son when I had that problem," according to Bailey. "Without question, [Huckabee] was making a conscious attempt to keep the state police from investigating his son," says I. C. Smith, the former FBI chief in Little Rock, who worked closely with Bailey and called him a "courageous" and "very solid" professional.
Huckabee called Bailey's account "totally untrue" and described him as a "bitter" exemployee. "I asked him to resign because he had so alienated the entire state police," he said. "It had nothing to do with my son." Brenda Turner, Huckabee's then chief of staff, and Kevin Crass, the Huckabee family lawyer, also disputed Bailey's account, although both acknowledged talking to him about the dog killing. "I asked him, 'Is it normal for the state police to … investigate something that happened at a Boy Scout camp?' " Turner says. "We wanted the same treatment that anybody else would get." (Animal cruelty in Arkansas is a misdemeanor, not a felony.)
The details of the incident remain murky. The Animal Legal Defense Fund got an anonymous fax that summer alleging that David Huckabee and another youth had been involved in the hanging of a stray dog at the camp on July 11. A local animal-rights activist, Joyce Hillard, later contacted the camp director. Notes of Hillard's report to the defense fund read, "Boys confessed & were fired. Dir. is making excuses, saying dog was sic & boys were putting him out of his misery." (The director told NEWSWEEK only that a stray dog was "put down" and that the counselors were fired for violating the Scout credo to be "kind."
The father of the other counselor was quoted by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette in August 1998 as saying that his son found the dog "hung over a limb and choking." David Huckabee did not respond to requests for comment. (In April of this year, he was arrested—and paid a fine—when he forgot to remove a loaded gun from his carry-on luggage at Little Rock airport.) His father told NEWSWEEK that his son did not engage in "intentional torture." "There was a dog that apparently had mange and was absolutely, I guess, emaciated." A campaign official says David "regrets" the incident and notes that he later made Eagle Scout.
http://www.newsweek.com/sons-past-could-come-back-bite-huckabee-94351
Duggar allies caught up in their own sex abuse scandals
Score one for the tabloid press. Josh Duggar, the eldest son of the creepy super-fundamentalist clan at the center of the TLC show 19 Kids and Counting, has admitted to charges of molesting multiple underage girls when he was a teenager; he has since stepped down from his position as a sex scold for the Family Research Council. Duggar admitted to molesting five girls—some of them reportedly his sisters—and while the family claims to have addressed the situation, a timeline constructed by Gawker suggests he did not get counseling while managing to dodge any prosecution.
The family's fame guarantees this story will stay in the public memory for awhile, but it's far from the first sex abuse scandal in the tight-knit world of far-right fundamentalism. As I wrote last year for Slate, Doug Phillips of the far-right group Vision Forum was forced to step down after admitting to "a lengthy, inappropriate relationship with a woman." The woman in question, Lourdes Torres-Manteufel, claims it was more than "inappropriate," noting that they met when she was 15 and that he "methodically groomed" by moving her into the house as a nanny and becoming "the pastor of her church, her boss, her landlord, and the controller of all aspects of her life" before pushing for sex. The Duggars were tight with Phillips and Vision Forum, which promoted a lot of Duggar-related material.
Another hardcore fundamentalist leader who had a mentorship relationship with the Duggars, Bill Gothard, was also caught up in a sex abuse scandal last year. Gothard was the leader of Institute in Basic Life Principles, an organization that promotes the "quiverfull" philosophy—particularly its emphasis on forsaking contraception and having as many children as possible. Gothard resigned after more than 30 women accused him of sexual harassment and abuse. Prior to this, Wire reports, the Duggars were "devotees of Gothard's Advanced Training Institute seminars. Until recently, the Duggars' official website called Gothard's Embassy Institute (which he also founded) their '#1 recommended resource' for families (that page now displays as blank)."
Vision Forum, the Institute in Basic Life Principles, and the Duggar family are arguably the three most influential groups promoting the "Christian patriarchy" movement, which promotes homeschooling, wifely submission, extreme pre-marital chastity (no hand-hugging or kissing), no contraception, and the idea that women's only real role in life is as wives and mothers. Having all your major leadership eaten up by sex abuse scandals is no small thing. Even before the Duggar revelations, the head of Patrick Henry College, itself an extreme religious-right organization, was distancing himself from the Christian patriarchy movement. When even big-time fundamentalists are jumping ship, maybe it's time for TLC to consider cutting the Duggars loose.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2015/05/22/josh_duggar_is_the_latest_in_a_string_of_sex_abuse_scandals_rocking_the.html
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