As you’re probably aware, the Duggars are no strangers to controversy.
At this point, they’ve been the subject of so many public outcries that it feels necessary to separate their scandals into different groups:
There’s the atrocious (the family going to great lengths to cover up Josh Duggar’s sex crimes), the laughable (uproar over Jinger Duggar wearing pants), and, of course, the ideological:
That third type might be the most complicated, as the Duggars have some very strange beliefs (many would say some very destructive beliefs), and yet their extreme conservatism is a large part of what’s made their reality shows so popular.
As evidenced by our current political climate, centrism is out, fanaticism is in, and a truly depressing number of Americans like their religion served up with a side of bigotry.
In the past, Jessa’s husband, Ben Seewald, has been considered the most liberal member of the extended Duggar clan.
(Liberal by Duggar standards, of course, meaning that Ben doesn’t believe Colin Kaepernick should be loaded into a catapult and launched over Niagara Falls into Ontario.)
Now, however, Ben is taking a good deal of well-deserved flak for apparently devoting much of his time and attention to arguing to Catholics that their religion is stupid and they’re gonna burn in the hottest part of hell.
Ben posted the above photo on Instagram this week and announced that he’s been boning up on his anti-Catholic rhetoric.
He captioned the image:
“About halfway through reading this. Dr. James White has debated many of the top Roman Catholic apologists and is highly knowledgeable on the real issues that, yes, still matter today.
He added:
“This is essential because many have no idea what the REAL issues actually are between Catholics and Protestants.”
A little background before we delve into the response to Ben’s anti-Catholic crusade:
For one, Dr. James White is not a real doctor, but instead a theologian who has dedicated his career to discrediting Catholicism, so it’s not like Ben is getting a fair and balanced look at the faith he’s decided to put in his crosshairs for some reason.
On top of that, Ben’s caption suggests that there’s some deep mystery about the differences between Catholicism and Protestantism.
There are differences of belief, but they’re not exactly kept secret.
Last we checked, Catholics don’t have to shell out six figures to Tom Cruise to find out what their religion is all about.
The reaction to Ben’s photo was mixed, but not surprisingly, it seems like his strange distaste for Catholicism cost him quite a few fans:
“Catholicism isnt a cult,” wrote one fan.
“I am a strong Catholic and the way Protestants depict us is abominable,” commented another.
“Why do you have to hate so much? We are just as faithful as you and just as loving … WE ARE CHRISTIANS TOO!!!”
Between this and Ben’s weird outrage over faith-based films that don’t depict Christian beliefs exactly to his liking, it seems Seewald is fashioning a career for himself as the king of the religious hot take.
He’s becoming a sort of Baptist Alex Jones, and it’s not a good look.
We’re sure he’s got the support of his in-laws, but attacking other branches of Christianity will likely make it far more difficult for Ben to his deeply pious TV audience.
Watch Counting On online to witness Ben’s attempts to make a name for himself as a fundamentalist firebrand.
