"... child molesting is never a mistake. No matter who does it, it’s always a felony."

...................................................................................................................................................................
I realize that the quoted comments are long, but they represent some of the best thoughts posted about Duggar's crime (to hell with his "sin").
...................................................................................................................................................................
COMMENTS:
*  Sorry, Tamara, but first of all, the family didn't deal with it until long after it started, and then they sent him to do construction work for three months. Second, Josh molesting his sisters wasn't just a sin that God can forgive, it was a CRIME and should have been dealt with by law enforcement, the same as other molesters do. His parents cared more about their commercial success than they did about their own daughters by covering for their son. Parents don't get to choose the punishment for criminal acts.....that's what the judicial system is for. The Duggar family needs to stop sitting in judgment of others when they have family members who are no better than the people they constantly judge. In all their scripture quotes, the seem to forget this one: Judge not, lest ye be judged. I think they're learning that Karma is a b****.
*  Maybe a lot of you just hate the law but child abuse is illegal. No matter who you are, no matter how much money you may have, or your family may have, or how much political power, the law must be applied equally to everyone. Furthermore, one of the most important principles of our republic has been that the United States of America is (or at least, should be) governed by the rule of law, not the rule of men. Richard Nixon (resigned before being impeached) was not above it. Bill Clinton (impeached) was not above it. Bernie Madoff, Martha Stewart, OJ Simpson, Scott Peterson - none were above it. We have a legal system to protect the rights of abuse victims, as well as alleged perpetrators. By bypassing this system, by showing nothing but pure contempt and outright hatred for it, is to show the same for America. How different is this from sharia law, which bypasses any nation's laws and imposes its own set of values? This is the kind of thing that Daesh (aka ISIS) loves. Real Americans should not. The victims need their day in court.
*  Finally!! A response that doesn't confuse the Christian mandate to 'forgive', with the Christian mandate to obey the laws of the land, and when necessary, prosecute and convict the criminal to prison. We are to forgive the sinner (thank God, because we are all sinners). BUT, we must also uphold the law and prosecute felony crimes. YES, we can walk in forgiveness and even reconciliation with the person that commits the crime, but we do this while they go through the process of prosecution and restitution. Christians have a hard concept with this. Sexual abuse is not a moral failure. It is a violent crime against innocent children, the same as rape and murder. Usually perpetrated by a trusted family member or friend. Even more tragic and such a grotesque violation of trust. For some reason, people get all tied up when it comes to a fellow Christian who is caught in this particular kind of sin. They blather on about out how young he was etc. Well? Most Pedophiles begin to act out on their sexual preference when they are young. Usually at puberty, and usually in a place where they have free access to kids. They typically choose younger kids that they can control, and then move on to experiment with as many kids as they can. In this sad case, Mr. Duggar mollested 4 or 5 young girls. That's what we know so far anyway. Committing this act inside of his own family leads me to believe he had to take a lot of effort to control and plan this out. He also had to silence the girls. I doubt that any of them knew that others were being mollested as they were. Divide and conquer is a very effective approach. The fact that he went on to marry and have children, is completely normal for a Pedophile. As they grow in to adulthood, unfortunately, their preference for children does not change. The fact that his family covered it up is NOT a surprise either. Most do. Even friends cover it up because they just can't fathom that the person in question is that evil. Another misconception? Pedophiles are not gay. They are sexually attracted to children and young adults. Some prefer girls and some prefer boys (or both). My personal belief and experience has been that the Pedophile is hard wired to prefer sexual contact with kids. They grow in to adulthood and may live a relatively normal life. Even marrying and having kids of their own. But, they continue to struggle with their sexual bent and cover it up as best they can. In part, because they know it's wrong. In almost every case, Pedophiles are very likable, trustworthy and upstanding members of their community and church. They maintain an incredible facade to cover their real selves. Christians are no more less likely to be a Pedophile. In fact, I would suggest that they are among the worst because their faith community and family refuse to confront them as a criminal and not 'just a sinner'. Wake up!!
*  "reality" shows that TLC shove at us are a mixture of bizarre, weird and sometime border on perversions like Toddlers in Tiaras that glorified little girls being judged on their sophistication, makeup, dance gyrations and sexy costumes. Know what, it's just wrong and we support it by watching. If TLC doesn't pull the plug from 19 Kids and Counting then I hold them responsible as enablers of this behavior. Yes it was a sin and he admitted and repented in Christian camp at age 15. But this is also a crime and should have been treated as such. The girls will have to carry this all their lives and trust me, it's guilt they carry because that's what the cult has taught them. They were molested, but it must have been their fault. It wasn't merely a "bad" thing that he had done to many children repeatedly, it was a damn CRIME.
...................................................................................................................................................................
CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIANS MISCOUNT
By Michael Reagan, May 28, 2015

I don’t care how popular the Duggar family and their TLC reality show “19 Kids & Counting” is with Christian conservatives.

I don’t care how many Republican presidential hopefuls Josh Duggar posed with in Iowa, or how important his celebrity was to the Family Research Council, the conservative Christian lobbying group.

When the Duggar family’s oldest son admitted he had molested and fondled five little girls — including some of his own sisters — when he was 14, it was time for conservative Christians to hold Josh and the Duggar family accountable for their actions.

Most didn’t.

Also, I noticed, most of those who want to be the GOP’s president in 2016 bit their tongues and pretended they hadn’t heard the shocking news.

But not Mike Huckabee, the ordained Southern Baptist minister. He really blew it.

Rushing to his Facebook page, he said he and his wife affirmed their support for the Duggar family. He said what Josh did was “inexcusable” but not “unforgivable.”

“Good people make mistakes and do regrettable and even disgusting things,” Huckabee wrote.
Almost 70,000 of Huckabee’s Facebook followers “liked” what he said, but he was completely wrong.

Child molesting is not a “mistake” you make when you’re young. It’s a crime against the innocent that should be prosecuted — and one I believe that should have no statute of limitations. In fact, the statute of limitations is only there to protect the guilty, not protect the innocent.

As we wait for more shoes to drop in this scandal, I have some uncomfortable questions people should be asking.

Let’s start with Josh, who’s now 27, has three kids and is no longer the executive director of the Family Research Council.

Was he a born a molester? Was he molested as a child?

Were other members of Josh’s huge family molested? Should he be in therapy now? Are his own kids safe?

Child molesting is evil, sad, disgusting stuff. I know. I was molested by a camp counselor when I was eight. Though my father wanted to kick his butt when he found out 34 years later, my molester never paid for his “mistake.” But I did.

Child molesting is often covered up — and most often it’s the family itself that protects the molester.

Did Duggar’s parents put their commercial success ahead of holding Josh accountable? Were they afraid to lose the national platform TLC gave them for their strict brand of Christian family values?

And speaking of TLC, shouldn’t we be asking its executives what they knew about Josh’s “mistake” and when they knew it? Did they care more about ratings and revenues than doing what was right?

Republicans and conservatives should be asking the people who run the Family Research Council the same tough ethical questions.

If it turns out they knew about Josh’s past and were still willing to hire him because of his celebrity, the FRC’s credibility is finished. Everything it believes in and has fought for will be lost.This scandal was a good time to do more than just fire Josh Duggar from the FRC and put the TV show on hold. It was also an opportunity to hold Josh accountable for his actions. But that didn’t happen.

As for Huckabee, I also have some questions.

If you found out tomorrow that Barack Obama had molested his young nieces when he was 14, would you call that “a mistake” and say you were willing to forgive him?

What if teen-age Barack had been caught molesting, was reprimanded and was then caught molesting again a year later?

Would you still say no purpose would be served by discrediting Barack Obama or his family by “sensationalizing” the story? I bet not.

We all know why Huckabee blew it. He had Iowa on his mind, not God.

He didn’t want to lose the support of the Duggar family or his Christian base, so he decided to call Josh Duggar’s child molesting a “mistake.”

But child molesting is never a mistake. No matter who does it, it’s always a felony. And it’s not something a cable network or a family is ever entitled to cover up.
...................................................................................................................................................................