Critics are drawn to the Duggar family like moths to a flame, and it’s certainly not hard to see why.
Even before major scandals like the revelation of Josh Duggar’s sex crimes, the family espoused a number of highly controversial ideas, and their apparent thirst for fame and fortune appeared to be in direct conflict with their fundamentalist religious views.
And the Duggars have no qualms about expressing their political views, which tends to add fuel to the fire.
Such deeply-held beliefs often lead to conflict, sometimes even within the family.
There have been widespread reports about Jim Bob Duggar clashing with Jessa Duggar’s husband, Ben Seewald, over matters of religious doctrine.
Now, the left-leaning (by Duggar standards) Ben may find himself at odds with another member of the extended Duggar family following some controversial comments made by Jinger Duggar’s husband, Jeremy Vuolo.
Vuolo is a pastor at a church in Laredo, Texas, and some of his recent comments have many wondering if Vuolo considers Donald Trump to be some sort of divine right monarch.
Indeed, Vuolo did say in a sermon that Trump has “the authority of God,” a belief that’s out of step with any mainstream Christian denomination.
But in context, it seems that Vuolo intended to convey that as with all world leaders, Trump’s authority comes with a sacred duty:
“People are ordained to governmental positions. Donald Trump has been delegated or given the authority of God,” Vuolo told his congregation last week.
“He’s been ordained in that position. Kim Jong Un is delegated with the authority of God. He’s been given authority from God.”
Vuolo may be pro-Trump, but we highly doubt he’s a fan of Kim Jong Un’s regime.
So most likely, he was simply using Trump as an example of a man with tremendous clout, who may be tempted to abuse his power:
“When men abuse their power, God is going to judge them for this,” Vuolo continued.
“Height and responsibility, because He gave them, He delegated them a power that was His to delegate. So they had a greater responsibility, and they squandered it. They’re gonna pay for that.”
Needless to say, Vuolo’s remarks generated a tremendous amount of controversy on social media.
“Donald trump has been given the authority of God? Couldn’t God have chosen a better candidate?” one Facebook user commented.
“It will be God’s hand when POTUS gets impeached, too, right?” remarked another.
Vuolo is no stranger to uproar, having made controversial statements in his sermons many times in the past.
Just last month, Vuolo was widely criticized for deriding Catholicism as a “demonic” religion.
In all likelihood, Vuolo courts controversy in order to bring greater attention to his church and his message.
It’s a method that’s worked quite well for his father-in-law over the years.
