Since I go
t married, I have witnessed the “manly” channels I used to watch like ESPN and Spike T.V., be slowly infiltrated by The Food Network and TLC. One day while my wife was flipping through her normal set of channels, she landed on TLC right at the beginning of a show called 18 and Counting. This show records the day-to-day events of a Christian family called the Duggars who have 18 kids! (For further information about the family go to http://www.duggarfamily.com/)
As Christians, they have made their living off of their family story, and their 18, soon to be 19 kids (as they have just found out they are pregnant again.) The media began to pick them up in 2004 when they had only 14 children by airing documentaries on the Discovery Channel. Since then, TLC and the Discovery Channel have documented every birth and every movement the family makes.
As Christians, specifically Conservative Baptists, they follow the Quiverfull movement which basically means that they will have as many children as God blesses them with. Throughout their show, in a non-offensive way, they expose viewers to their way of life, religion, and beliefs. The children are home-schooled, watch very little television, and internet usage is restricted. The children are raised on the buddy system which means an older child takes care, and basically raises a younger child. Most of the children do not date, but rather go through courtship, in which the young man seeks permission from the girl's father to begin a relationship. All meetings between a couple include a chaperone and they believe in abstaining from all physical interaction and intimacy (except hand holding) until marriage.
I don’t actually think that people have an issue with their religion; it's that the religion is used as the reason why the children are restricted in so many ways. As an individual who is a member of a religion that practices and believes in modesty, chastity, keeping the body healthy and serving the Lord, I can appreciate their beliefs. The bottom line is it’s not the religion per se that makes me question the Duggars, it’s how their practice of their religion limits the decisions their children make. It’s great to see each of the older children saying they have made a particular choice for themselves, but you have to wonder to what extent they would be able to make any other choice. I am curious as to how the children will answer questions 10, or 15 years down the road. Will Josh, the oldest, be grateful that his parents accompanied him on every date with his current wife? Will the children realize how sheltered their life was, and will they resent their parents for keeping them “out of the world” for so long? 
The real questions now stand unanswered. Are they truly free to make decisions, or are they bound by the rules their religion and parents have set for them? Are the Duggars taking their religion too far? Finally, are the children being exploited on television in the name of religious beliefs and profitable gains?
Check out this interview the Duggars had with Mike Huckabee...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tqy1q0Qibrs
Growing up in a religion that restricts personal interaction with other people always raises the question of its affect on the child throughout the years. I believe that it depends on the individual. Some are content and develop well under those circumstances while others are hindered.
ReplyDeleteChildren should be allowed to choose their own lifestyle based on their own beliefs and not that of their parents. For these children it can be diffiuclt to choose anything other than their Quiverfull movement because that is what they are know for throughout the country.
I've always wondered about that one kid that doesn't believe what the rest of the family believes and wants to act differently, how will he/she be viewed, will the Duggars let that child do what they want or will they make him/her follow their Quiverfull movement? I'm not saying the kids are brainwashed, but what happens when one child decides to go "astray" according to the family? What happens when one of the girls doesn't want to wear a skirt everyday or if one of the children decide they don't want to have 20 kids... will they be looked down upon?
ReplyDelete-Stacy
I think the main issue we need to focus on here is not their religion or beliefs in a social context, but rather the exploitation of their religion as a medium of entertainment. It's not for us to judge whether the parents are providing a home environment conducive to personal and social growth, because many of those criticisms, although much less extreme, could be applied to a Mormon household. Instead, this blog post makes me wonder how truely devote this Quiverfull family is: the ubiquitous presence of a camera and film crew contradicts their stance on limiting the use of media within the home...the children can't WATCH TV, but they can be ON it and consequently make their living through it? Oh the irony.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen the show before, but after spending close to an hour youtubing the Duggars I am left feeling inspired and motivated by their courage and faith. Our beliefs as LDS are not far off from their beliefs. They value family, virtue, chastity, and living debt free! I think that many Mormons should look to this family as an example. Many LDS families now are living in extreme debt and are scared to start their families and to have large families. I think it couldn't hurt to look to this family as a great example of not being being afraid to have children and allowing God to bless you with more. Not say everyone should be having 19 per se---but to look at children as a blessing from God. (And I don't think they earn all their money from the show because he is involved in politics)
ReplyDeleteWell I just wrote a big long comment and unfortunately it didn't work and did not save everything I just wrote.. so alas I'll start over.
ReplyDeleteSo while I don't necessarily agree with everything the Duggar family is doing, I do have to say I have a lot of similar standard and beliefs they do and I respect them for that. My biggest concern with this TV show and their presence in the media, is if the media is exploiting them and their religion.
While many people probably respect many of the standards they live by and qualities the family possesses, I feel that overall most people are watching it for the entertainment factor. In a way it feels that they are gawking at their lifestyle, almost to a point where it's as if they are making fun of it. I doubt there are a lot of people out there that would want to have 18 kids or even any amount over 10. It just seems to me that here is this religion and family- two very sacred things, being used for entertainment value, and more likely than not people are poking fun of their circumstances than they are treating it with a reverence that religion usually deserves. I just think that it feels a little backwards because it doesn't seem to me like in this case religion is being looked upon as something sacred, rather they've in a roundabout way- through a family of 20, turned it into sole entertainment. To me it just seems that more often than not people are poking fun or rolling their eyes at this family and religion, than they are being inspired by it.
I will admit that I have been sucked into the show a few times. From the few episodes I saw, I don't necessarily agree with everything they are doing, I do think that what they are trying to teach their children is good. They do have good family values and try to teach their children. However, I also think that some of the things they do are for pure entertainment. There needs to be a privacy and space kept within a family. I think that this privacy is sometimes distorted because they try to act for the camera all the time. There is so way you can act as you normally do when you know that you are on national television. However, I do think that the values they are teaching their children, all 19 of them, are good. It is a nice change in reality television.
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