Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Duggar Family: Secrets of Their Twisted Ministry Revealed


If you"re at all familiar with the Duggar family, then you"re no doubt aware that the Counting On clan is as well-known for its strict religious beliefs as for the massive size of Jim Bob and Michelle"s brood.


However, you may not be familiar with the specifics of the Duggars" controversial belief system.


The enormity of the family and the particulars of its members" worldview are not unrelated, of course, as the Duggars belong to a controversial non-denominational organization that encourages its followers to have as many children as physically possible.


But the bizarre and often dangerous teachings of the Quiverfull movement don"t stop there.


In the gallery below, we"ll explore the movement that informs so many of the Duggars deeply-held convictions.


Even if you count yourself among the diehard Duggar faithful, you may be surprised to learn exactly what drives reality TV"s most controversial family.




1. A Quiverfull of Duggars


The duggars in 2004

Many of the Duggars’ beliefs derive from the teachings of Bill Gothard, a disgraced and highly controversial minister who teaches, among other things, that it is the duty of all Christians to marry young produce as many offspring as possible.



2. Bill Gothard: Guru of the Duggars


Bill gothard

To say that Bill Gothard, founder of the Quiverfull movement and the affiliated Advanced Training Institute, is a controversial figure would be a massive understatement. Gothard is currently in hiding following a number of high-profile sexual assault allegations.



3. The IBLP: Condoning Abuse Since 1961


Jim bob and josh duggar picture

The first of Gothard’s many off-shoot organizations (like any conman worth his salt, Gothard knows when it’s time to abandon one shadowy venture for the next), the Institute in Basic Life Principles was founded in 1961 as a tax-exempt umbrella conglomerate for several ministries.



4. And Just What Does the IBLP/ATI Teach?


4 duggar sisters

The Duggar children were all homeschooled using materials and curricula provided by the ATI. The recently revealed contents of said materials shocked many fans who thought they were familiar with the Duggars’ beliefs.



5. Biblical Life Principles


Jim bob and michelle duggar kitchen hug

Not surprisingly, the ATI materials emphasize “biblical life principles.” This means that children are taught from a young age that whether the subject is history, math, science or language, the Bible is the only text you need.



6. What That Really Means


So many duggars

The idea of teaching a child geography from a several-thousand-year-old text written by people who weren’t aware of the existence of other continents is troubling enough, but it gets worse, as the ATI materials actually convey that it’s Gothard, not God, who serves as the ultimate authority and has the final word.


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Kailyn Lowry: Will She Get MORE Plastic Surgery?!

Cosmetic surgery is pretty common for the stars of Teen Mom 2. In part because they’re always on camera, and in part because, hey, you gotta spend that sweet, sweet Teen Mom money somehow.


Briana DeJesus plans on more plastic surgery. She knows what work she wants done, and has even scheduled it.


But Kailyn Lowry, on the other hand, has some very different plans.



In a statement to RadarOnline, Kailyn Lowry says that she’s so over cosmetic procedures.


“No more plastic surgery. I tried botox — horrible fail for me. I’m done. Like, it’s over for that. No.”


If that’s her choice, good for her.


A cynical fan might suggest that celebrities who admit to getting plastic surgery can lose out on certain sponsorships such as Instagram ads, so a young reality star might want to be circumspect about going under the knife.


But we don’t really have any reason to doubt Kailyn, do we?


Kailyn’s been reasonably straightforward about her past procedures, her body image issues, and her new girlfriend.



In June of 2016, Kailyn responded very frankly and honestly to how swollen her lips looked at a reunion special.


“Tried to get lip fillers and had a reaction. You should have seen them without lipstick.”


It’s important for people to remember that everyone’s body is different.


Two people can go to the same doctor for the same procedure and get very, very different results.


Lip fillers are unnatural. That doesn’t mean that they’re bad or that it’s wrong for people to get them, but it does mean that some people are going to have an adverse reaction to having foreign material inserted into such a sensitive part of the body as the lips.


(Short-term lip fillers are basically just “sugar gel” that get broken down by the body over time. Long-term fillers are straight-up silicone injections)


Considering that botox wasn’t to Kailyn’s liking, we’d say that her body is on the sensitive side.



As we said, Kailyn’s been totally honest about her personal struggles with body-image.


Here’s some of what she wrote in her book, Hustle & Heart.


“For years I struggled with eating disorders, and I was extremely self-conscious about my weight. This is rarely something you ever completely get over.”


She’s right. Even people in recovery from eating disorders know that there’s some risk of a relapse.


“It’s nice to think that the ultimate goal would be to feel totally at peace with my body, whatever it looks like. But in reality, that’s something that has to be maintained continuously.”


Sadly, there’s no “finish line” for bodies. If there were, we’d all spend a few months as gym fanatics and have perfect bodies for the rest of our lives.


That’s why personal goals, including weight and fitness, need to be viable on a long-term basis.


“I’d committed so thoroughly to working out and maintaining a healthy diet. But it was clear there was only so much I could do to change the shape of my body.”


Thus, she opted for cosmetic procedures including neck liposuction (which sounds … probably a lot more dangerous than it actually is, though there’s definitely some risk), a Brazilian butt lift, and a tummy tuck.


This was all in January of 2016.



She wrote about why she got some touch-ups to her body.


“I knew that being satisfied with my outer appearance would give me the confidence I needed to face the world head on.”


She’s absolutely right.


There are different ways to attain that confidence, but a reasonable amount of cosmetic work can absolutely do it.


“For me, the things that I wanted to change about my body were nagging little distractions from the deeper missions I wanted to work on.”


You know what, good for her!


The most powerful thing about this is that Kailyn is expressing that she knows when to stop.


Some people — people who are addicted to plastic surgery — aren’t so fortunate.



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