Counting the Cost

“He was the same honest, upstanding, Christian man at work as he was whenever he was talking to us kids at home. He was the head of our household, and that was the way it was supposed to be.”

The Duggars, like all Christian fundamentalists, believe the father is the head of the household and the ultimate authority after God. This strong belief in patriarchal power structures, in Christian fundamentalism, is seen as part of what it means to be a good Christian who follows the teachings in the Bible. Jill explains that her family viewed her father as being morally righteous and a good leader.

“When women wear tight or revealing clothes that show certain parts of their skin between their collarbone and knees, it gets guys going and can stir up sensual desires. It can make them think bad thoughts. When girls do that to men, they’re defrauding them. That’s not good, and it can lead them to sin.”

These words from Michelle Duggar teach Jill and her siblings that women’s bodies have the power to cause men to sin against God. Because her parents are the ultimate authority in her life, Jill believes her mother. She is unable to exercise her own critical thinking and only maintains her received worldview.

“By preventing us from discussing anything controversial or sensitive with each other, the instruction not to ‘stir up contention among the brethren’ became a tool for silence, for control, for guilt.”

Jim Bob and Michelle use the directive not to “stir up contention among the brethren” as a tool for controlling their children. Jill especially is so concerned with always obeying her parents and being the perfect daughter that she does not question this rule or see how damaging it is until it is too late. This continues to demonstrate that the fundamentalist worldview prevents one from questioning it, thus perpetuating itself.