‘Homeschooling, Courting And Wearing Long Skirts Is Not Christianity’: Ben Seewald Discusses Duggar Family Religion

Ben Seewald, a Duggar son-in-law, is speaking about some of the family’s religious practices, noting that there is more to Christianity than just “homeschooling, courting, and wearing long skirts.” In fact, the Duggar in-law notes that none of those things are Christianity, and that many families focus so heavily on these outward, visible practices that they neglect the true heart of the Christian faith.

Ben Seewald recently posted a video to his official Facebook page with the caption, “Homeschooling, courting and wearing long skirts is not Christianity.” The Duggar in-law claims that many Christians focus their faith on their actions in regards to homeschooling or modest appearance instead of focusing their lives on living for Jesus Christ. The video shared by Seewald was a sermon given by Paul Washer, in which he asks if Jesus Christ is really the center of your faith or if you are focusing on outward projections instead.

In the video posted by Ben Seewald, Washer talks about the many “badges” that Christians wear to portray themselves as Godly. Many of these “badges” are ones that the Duggar family proudly promote through their public speaking engagements and formerly on their TLC reality series, 19 Kids and Counting. For example, the Duggars are known for homeschooling their large brood of children and for wearing the iconic long Duggar daughter skirts. They also promote the idea of courting as opposed to modern dating. However, as Washer points out, many times these “badges” can take the place of an actual relationship with God and it seems that Ben Seewald agrees.

“Homeschooling is not Christianity, it is not the badge of you being godly, it is not the great means in order to raise great children. It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ!”

It isn’t just fake badges of faith that Ben Seewald is discussing this week. He also posted a new blog post in the form of a daily devotional that discussed “prideful” and “boastful” behavior of many celebrities and sports stars. In the post, Seewald pointed out that sports stars had no grounds to boast, as everything they have was given to them by God, not by their own hard work or doing.

“Superstar athletes, for example, are often referred to as ‘highly gifted individuals’. Too many times stars, celebrities, highly skilled professionals, politicians and other well knowns can be prideful and boastful. Even people who feel like they are less gifted often take great pride in how hard they work. Let this be clear, humanity may boast in itself, but there are no valid grounds for it. The glory all belongs to God, ‘in whom we live, and move, and have our being.’ “

Though Ben seems to be denouncing the idea of boasting about what God has given you, many followers of the Duggar and Seewald families say that Ben has been guilty of this himself. Ben’s wife, Jessa Seewald, is known by many as the “selfie queen” because she frequently posts selfies with smoothies, ice cream, or simply of herself to her social media accounts. It is unclear as to exactly which “boastful behaviors” Ben is referring, and whether Jessa’s selfie obsession would fall into that category in his eyes or not.

What do you think about Ben Seewald’s latest social media posts and blog? Do you think he is attempting to put rumors about the Duggar family to rest or is he pointing out hypocrisies in his in-laws’ teachings? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

[Image via Instagram]