Attendees Encouraged To Bring Guns To Jim Bob Duggar’s Next Public Speaking Event
Jim Bob Duggar, patriarch of the family known for reality stardom and anti-LGBTQ+ political activism (as well as for their family size) will be speaking at an event next week — and attendees are being asked to show up armed. The organization is Courageous Men of the Word, and they’ll be meeting at Fort Rock Family Camp. The Duggar family has been involved with Fort Rock for years, attending their events and showing up as speakers. Earlier this year, Jim Bob Duggar’s fifth-born daughter, 19-year-old Joy Anna, married Austin Forsyth, son of Terry and Roxanne Forsyth, who own the conservative retreat.
However, most speeches Jim Bob Duggar gives are not advertised with an invitation to bring handguns and a promise that rifles and shotguns will be provided. This time, the Outdoor Channel’s Jeff Danker, a bow hunter, will be joining Duggar as a speaker, and, while Fort Rock doesn’t list activities for the event, they do make it clear that there will be an opportunity to practice their marksmanship. The Fort Rock website says the following.
“Be sure to bring your favorite handgun and bows and arrows. Shotguns and rifles will be provided.”
Duggar hasn’t discussed whether he’ll be joining in hunting or target practice alongside his family’s fans, but the family has been using their social media accounts to advertise the event heavily.
Fort Rock Family Camp has scheduled their annual Father / Son Camp with Courageous Men of the Word from August… https://t.co/H6ZtOtGIvI
— The Duggar Family (@duggarfam) July 26, 2017
https://www.facebook.com/duggarfamilyofficial/posts/1092678137532501
The event’s theme is “Battle Ready,” which could explain the necessity of Duggar’s audience showing up armed, though the reasoning is metaphorical or spiritual battle, with reference to Ephesians 6 (full text here at Bible Gateway), which discusses putting on the armor of God — a shield of faith, a helmet of salvation, and a sword of the Spirit. (It’s also the section that directs slaves to obey their masters as they obey Christ, incidentally.)
Not all Duggar viewers seemed to find the topic of Jim Bob’s speaking event appropriate. On one of his social media posts, a commenter asked the following.
“‘Battle Ready’, what is the war?”
Another follower, going by the screen name “Free Jana,” which might suggest a more than passing familiarity with the Duggar family, responded.
“The imaginary War on Christians.”
Yet another responded to say the Duggar family hopes to usher in Armageddon and the Rapture, adding in thoughts about the Quiverful ideology and the idea of birthing as many children as possible to be evangelists promoting their views. (Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar say they are not a part of the Quiverful movement.)
On another of the Duggar family’s posts about Jim Bob’s presence at the Courageous Men of the Word event, another commenter chimed in to question the appropriateness of Jim Bob joining an event as a speaker, in light of the last few years’ revelations about his family. Specifically, this individual brought up the police report and allegations against Josh Duggar and implied connections to Jim Bob’s parenting.
“Is that where fathers teach their sons how to molest their sisters and daughters???”
Jim Bob Duggar is promoting this as a father-son event, though Fort Rock’s own event page only describes it as an event for men. The event page does note that children aged 4 and under are admitted free of charge.
[Featured Image by Duggar Family Official Facebook]
