• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

  • CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.

DUGGERS and 3 questions

ChristsSoldier115

Mabaho na Kuya
Jul 30, 2013
6,765
1,601
The greatest state in the Union: Ohio
✟41,502.00
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
In Relationship

um.. 12 years ago, if this happened.. like.. last week.. maybe i would agree with you. A lot ca happen in 12 years. If it was still going on for 12 years we would have a problem.
 
Upvote 0

Archaeopteryx

Wanderer
Jul 1, 2007
22,229
2,608
✟78,240.00
Gender
Male
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Private
That's for God to decide.
You can't even bring yourself to say it? I would think the answer is blatantly obvious. Do you think being married to a person of the same sex is as bad as what Josh did to those girls?
 
Reactions: Red Fox
Upvote 0

evoeth

Man trying to figure things out
Mar 5, 2014
1,670
2,079
✟151,370.00
Gender
Male
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Married
Morally there's a difference, sure, but both are sin.


It's good that you immediately recognize that the concept of sin is a moral equivocation.
But then despite the recognition you continue in the argument that persistence is still relevant?

It's also important to point out that sin is irrelevant to justice. More than irrelevant, it's a barrier. Sin a concept that has no basis outside of idiosyncratic religious belief. Which is to say what is sin differs wildly from person to person, religion to religion, etc. And because of that, and because different religions share no common religious authority, sin can never be a basis for justice in a pluralistic society.
 
Reactions: Ada Lovelace
Upvote 0

evoeth

Man trying to figure things out
Mar 5, 2014
1,670
2,079
✟151,370.00
Gender
Male
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Married
As I said in the last thread, Please people grow up. this happened 12 years ago when he was also a child. This does not excuse what happened.
Then why are you using it to excuse Josh from society's judgment on him?
But Josh Dugger is not a pedophile since he was also underage.
Legally maybe. But if we're using the diagnostic criteria for pedophilia, he is barely not a pedophile. He sexually molested four of his pre-pubescent sisters. As a 15 year old. I remember what my sexual interests were when I was fifteen and it sure didn't include four year old and eight year old girls!
 
Reactions: Ada Lovelace
Upvote 0

High Fidelity

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Feb 9, 2014
24,539
10,585
✟1,108,340.00
Country
United Kingdom
Gender
Male
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Private
You can't even bring yourself to say it? I would think the answer is blatantly obvious. Do you think being married to a person of the same sex is as bad as what Josh did to those girls?

Like I said, that's for God to decide.

I obviously find them both repugnant, but I hold no ill-will towards either perpetrator.

Sin is sin. The severity of which is for God to decide.
 
Upvote 0

High Fidelity

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Feb 9, 2014
24,539
10,585
✟1,108,340.00
Country
United Kingdom
Gender
Male
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Private

Persistence is relevant.

Sinning and repenting is one thing. Persisting in sin is another.
 
Reactions: sdmsanjose
Upvote 0

evoeth

Man trying to figure things out
Mar 5, 2014
1,670
2,079
✟151,370.00
Gender
Male
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Married
Persistence is relevant.

Sinning and repenting is one thing. Persisting in sin is another.

But you just got done recognizing that while sins may have no moral difference, that these two acts do have a moral difference. So I don't see why persistence of the "sin" is relevant. What value system were you using to make that judgment that the two acts are morally different?
 
Last edited:
Reactions: Ada Lovelace
Upvote 0
Aug 29, 2005
34,371
11,479
✟206,635.00
Faith
Lutheran
Marital Status
Private
By SDMSANJOSE


3. How many of us could raise 19 children and only have one failure in the family?
How do we know this is the only failure?

It seems this question also is an attempt to cut them slack because they had 19 kids. Why should we bother to try to imagine how we would do if we had 19 kids?
 
Upvote 0

Armoured

So is America great again yet?
Site Supporter
Aug 31, 2013
34,362
14,061
✟257,467.00
Gender
Male
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Married
1 "don't molest your sisters" is hardly a value exclusive to conservative Christians
2 Yes. As discussed elsewhere, were they not the paradigm for Christian wholesomeness they present themselves as, but rather left leaning homosexuality advocates, the very people urging restraint would be baying for blood.
3. Yeah, there's failures and then failures, you know? Raise 19 kids and one shoplifts occasionally, or struggles in school or employment, that's one thing. Raise a sexual predator? AND shield him from prosecution? That's a pretty big failure...
 
Upvote 0

High Fidelity

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Feb 9, 2014
24,539
10,585
✟1,108,340.00
Country
United Kingdom
Gender
Male
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Private

Admitting fault and seeking forgiveness is quite different to ignoring wrongdoing and persisting in said wrongdoing.

You may not believe the concept of repentance, but it's part of Christianity. You're welcome to disagree with it, but you need to understand that Christians believe it.
 
Upvote 0

graceandpeace

Episcopalian
Sep 12, 2013
2,985
574
✟29,685.00
Faith
Anglican
Marital Status
Private
Politics
US-Democrat
This is not complicated.

TLC had to have known about the molestation, yet they signed on for the show anyway because of the money to be made. That reflects poorly on TLC.

The Duggers kept everything quiet for the purposes of the show because to have aired what happened with Josh would have ensured the loss of the show & (you guessed it), the loss of the money to be made.

People are outraged because 1) the hypocrisy. The transphobic robo-call implying transgendered persons might be pedophiles, for example - while harboring a pedophile under their own roof who molested his own sisters!

2) even knowing this, the parents still continued to have more children. When one of the older kids is a sex offender, it's time to stop having more children & focus one the ones you already have. (Nevermind that I think having that many kids is selfish & irresponsible to begin with, but I digress on that point.) It's wrong to almost expect your older children to watch your younger children while continuing to have more. Kids need the attention of their parents.

3) people defending Josh are making things worse. While I'm glad he apologized & I do sincerely hope he got help & is no longer harming children, coming to his defense in a way that minimalizes or overshadows what happened to the girls is disgusting. 14-15 years old is old enough to know that molesting your own sisters is wrong, so continuing the narrative that he was "just a kid" is really not helping. Granted, the strict moral policing of the family may have contributed to something like this happening, but that's no excuse.

To be clear, I believe in forgiveness & second chances, but people are rightfully angry for the reasons outlined above.
 
Upvote 0

Cearbhall

Well-Known Member
May 10, 2013
15,118
5,744
United States
✟129,824.00
Country
United States
Gender
Female
Faith
Other Religion
Marital Status
Single
The double-standard of this is incredible; the same lady who sent out a robocall to the whole state of Arkansas about how evil trans- people were and how homosexuals are more inclined to be molesters was the one harboring a pedophile the whole time.
This is what gets me the most.
 
Reactions: evoeth
Upvote 0

High Fidelity

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Feb 9, 2014
24,539
10,585
✟1,108,340.00
Country
United Kingdom
Gender
Male
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Private

I'm yet to see someone discount the severity of his actions. The conversation seemed to shift, though, to comparing two separate sins and the attempt to add emotion to it as a means of discrediting the Christian understanding and belief in repentance.

I think people need to respect that they are welcome to disagree with Christian teaching and understanding, but going against it in the manner it has been seen lately is tantamount to promoting a belief system outside of Christianity, which isn't allowed.
 
Upvote 0

Archaeopteryx

Wanderer
Jul 1, 2007
22,229
2,608
✟78,240.00
Gender
Male
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Private
In case you haven't already noticed, many Christians do not share your view of "sin."
 
Upvote 0

High Fidelity

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Feb 9, 2014
24,539
10,585
✟1,108,340.00
Country
United Kingdom
Gender
Male
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Private
In case you haven't already noticed, many Christians do not share your view of "sin."

Yes, but many Christians also condone female ministers, drunkenness, lying and adultery.

I'm not responsible for their actions or opinions, misguided as they can be.

We aren't one and the same, even professing the same faith.
 
Upvote 0

Cearbhall

Well-Known Member
May 10, 2013
15,118
5,744
United States
✟129,824.00
Country
United States
Gender
Female
Faith
Other Religion
Marital Status
Single
Upvote 0

Archaeopteryx

Wanderer
Jul 1, 2007
22,229
2,608
✟78,240.00
Gender
Male
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Private
Yes, but many Christians also condone female ministers, drunkenness, lying and adultery.

I'm not responsible for their actions or opinions, misguided as they can be.

We aren't one and the same, even professing the same faith.
Yes, and many also pretend that same-sex marriage is as much of a moral failing as child molestation. But don't worry, we know not all Christians are like that.
 
Upvote 0

High Fidelity

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Feb 9, 2014
24,539
10,585
✟1,108,340.00
Country
United Kingdom
Gender
Male
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Private
Upvote 0