Josh Duggar, the eldest son from the reality show 19 Kids and Counting is saying that Christians who are being slammed for discriminating against the LGBT community are suffering from discrimination themselves, and warned that there might be an "agenda to silence people of faith."
He told CNS News that Christians should have the right to discriminate against the LGBT community, and should be free to speak out on social issues such as same-sex marriage if they don't agree.
"Right now in America there is an agenda to silence people of faith, those who hold a dissenting opinion," he said.
"That's not what America was founded on. America was founded on respect, tolerance, and really not discriminating against people based on their religious convictions."
As for himself, Josh said that his Christian views were mainstream orthodoxy. "Orthodox Christianity, in general, and all faiths, really, ascribe to the fact that the family is central to everything," he explained.
Josh believes that having a solid family foundation can help build a strong economy and an equally strong nation. All the issues faced by America right now such as national security and immigration all boil down to lack of strong families, the eldest Duggar stressed.
Because of this, the upcoming US Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality is "fundamental" to preserving the "bedrock" of family life, according to Josh.
"All of Americans understand that the issue is not going away, so I think what we have to realise is this is only the beginning of a larger discussion — and what's really at stake here is the American family," he said.
Despite arguing strongly for the right of Christians to speak out on social issues, Josh cautioned that Christians should still speak "with civility" as they profess their beliefs and take a stand on what they believe is right.
