The Duggar family from 19 Kids and Counting has a supporter in blogger Matt Walsh following molestation allegations around Josh Duggar. He wrote that even though he watches the show with his wife, he's not really a fan. However, he personally feels admiration for the family.
"They are living by their convictions, in defiance of cultural trends, and clearly bestowing a strong faith in all of their children," writes Walsh on The Blaze. "That faith hasn't...made any of them perfect saints, but it seems genuine."
The Duggar family has been at the centre of a media storm after allegations surfaced that eldest son Josh had molested five girls when he was just a teenager. He has apologised for his actions since then, and he and the victims sought counselling.
There has been a strong backlash over the allegations, especially because of the family's strong Christian values. They have been called hypocrites and liars by critics, and TLC has been pushed to pull their episodes off the air.
Walsh said he did not think the accusation of hypocrisy was a fair one: "A Christian failing to live up to his faith does not make him a hypocrite. It makes him cowardly, perhaps. It makes him selfish. It makes him flawed. It makes him sinful. It makes him any number of things, but not necessarily a hypocrite. A hypocrite is an insincere person who misrepresents his own beliefs."
Walsh added that he is not diminishing Josh's past actions, but he said that Christians commit major sins too sometimes, and this is why Jesus died on the cross.
As for the claims that parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar did not rush to report the allegations to the police, Walsh said: "Would you? Is it really that simple? The decision to have your child arrested as a sex offender would be an automatic thing for you? Really?
"It appears that Josh's parents attempted to address the situation within their family before going to the church, and then eventually to a law enforcement officer," he added.
"As a parent, you have to think whether your 14 year old son deserves to have his life ruined over his mistakes. Maybe you'd decide that he does. I can't say I'd agree."
