Joy-Anna Duggar And Austin Forsyth Lash Out At ‘Animal Abuse’ Critics: ‘God Is No Ape’
Joy-Anna Duggar and Austin Forsyth recently weighed in on a heated debate over animal abuse that has been raging in the comments section of their Instagram page. The couple argued that rodeos are not a form of animal cruelty, and they also responded to critics who accused them of having views on animals and abortion that are incompatible.
As reported by Romper, many fans of the Duggar family have been busy discussing the size of Joy-Anna’s baby bump in the comments section of one of her recent Instagram posts. So far, the Counting On star has not responded to the numerous accusations that she had premarital sex and got pregnant before her wedding day, but it’s now clear that she and her husband do read the comments on their Instagram posts. According to CafeMom, they recently addressed some of the critical responses to their post about attending a rodeo in Texas.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Joy-Anna Duggar and Austin Forsyth were accused of endorsing “animal abuse” when they shared a series of photos that they snapped at the Stockyards Championship Rodeo in Fort Worth, Texas. Some fans asked the Counting On stars how they could support “torturing” animals for entertainment while being against abortion.
“The rodeo is pure animal abuse. So your [sic] anti-abortion but pro animal abuse?” asked one of their Instagram followers.
The comment above is one of the few that Joy-Anna Duggar and Austin Forsyth later singled out to reply to. They argued that rodeos are not a form of animal abuse, and they revealed that they see no connection between abortion and animal cruelty because they don’t believe that all living things should be considered equal.
“Not animal ‘abuse’, and humans and animals are not equal,” read their response.
The Counting On stars didn’t respond to commenters who argued that it shouldn’t be acceptable for animals to be subjected to stress and pain for entertainment just because they’re different from humans, but they did choose to address the comment below.
“Humans are just intelligent apes. It’s incredibly arrogant of us to conclude a human life is more important than any other animal’s life just because we can verbalize our thoughts and emotions. You think torturing an animal at a rodeo is what God intended by making us stewards of the Earth?”
In their response, Joy-Anna Duggar and Austin Forsyth made it clear that they do not believe in evolution or that there is any link between humans and apes.
“God is no ape, and we are created in His image. Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them,” they wrote.
Joy-Anna Duggar and Austin Forsyth also defended their choice of entertainment by informing their followers that there was “no bulldogging” at the rodeo on the night that they attended the event. “Bulldogging” is when a rider chases down a steer, tackles it, and wrestles it to the ground. However, the couple did admit that they watched a calf-roping competition, and the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association describes calf-roping competitions as “the cruelest rodeo events.” The young calves used in the events are often injured and can even be killed.
While their support for a controversial form of entertainment may have sparked an intense backlash from their critics, it doesn’t look like Joy-Anna Duggar and Austin Forsyth have watched their last rodeo.
[Featured Image by Duggar Family/Facebook]
