‘Counting On’ Fans Slam The Duggars After They Endorse A Controversial Marriage Retreat
The Duggars have managed to spark yet another controversy, and this time it’s all about a marriage retreat the family has endorsed. The Counting On stars recently tweeted to their followers that there was still time to register for an “amazing marriage retreat” hosted by Joy-Anna Duggar’s in-laws, Terry and Roxanne Forsyth, and Michael and Debi Pearl, whose teachings allegedly promote child abuse. However, many fans were not thrilled to see the family use their platform to publicize such controversial views.
As In Touch Weekly reports, the Duggars are no strangers when it comes to causing controversy and sparking outrage; since making their debut on reality TV over a decade ago, they have been part of more scandals than fans can count.
Many of the scandals have centered around various parenting styles and techniques that some members of the family have used, including Jill’s “blanket training,” a practice the Pearls endorse.
Blanket training is a technique that parents use to teach a baby “self-control.” The parents require an infant or young child to remain on a blanket for a designated amount of time; punish them if they try to leave or reward them if they stay.
The Duggar family has caused outrage with their methods of discipline in the past.
During Josh’s molestation scandal, one of the underage daughters told authorities that when someone is “bad,” their parents spank them with a rod. Michelle has admitted to snapping a ruler to physically punish her kids when they were babies.
As for the marriage retreat, which will take place at Fort Rock Family Camp, the Pearls will bring their No Greater Joy ministry to Combs, Arkansas, and spread their message of corporal punishment and complete obedience that they shared in their book To Train Up a Child.
But a lot of Duggar fans voiced their displeasure about the Pearls’ appearance and the Duggar endorsement.
“This makes me so sad. The Pearls literally promote hitting babies, actual babies,” one Facebook user commented. “They are child abusers. Why you would promote their evil and cruel practices is mind-boggling.”
There is still time to register for this amazing marriage retreat! You will not regret it! https://t.co/CmzOOZL6UV
— The Duggar Family (@duggarfam) March 20, 2018
In the last few years, police have attributed the deaths of three children to the use of the Pearls’ book, and in all three cases, the courts convicted the parents of murder.
Some of the training methods in the book include using plastic tubing to beat children and the parents wearing the tubing around their neck as a constant reminder, swatting babies as young as six-months-old with the tubing or a wooden spoon, giving cold water baths, withholding meals, blanket training, and using rulers, paddles or belts on older children.
In addition to the marriage retreat, Fort Rock also offers family camps and conferences with outdoor activities such as kayaking, hiking, fishing, archery, and ATV riding. Terry Forsyth created the camp back in 1995 because he had a vision of an 1800s-style town that would be a fun and educational vacation destination for religious families.
Catch the Duggars on new episodes of Counting On Monday nights on TLC.
