Former "19 Kids and Counting" star Jim Bob Duggar's open letter advising fathers about being the "spiritual leader" of their homes has sparked outrage across social media, with many questioning the Duggar patriarch's credibility due to the actions of his son, Josh Duggar.
In the letter posted on the family's official website, Duggar, 50, first details the miscarriage he and his wife, Michelle, experienced even though she was on the birth control pill.
"We read in the Bible that God says that children are a blessing and a reward from Him (Psalms 127:1-5). We had been rejecting His gifts. At that point, we prayed and asked God to forgive us and we gave Him this area of our lives. We said, 'Lord, help us to love children the way that you love children, and Lord we want to receive each one as a gift from you,'" the Duggar patriarch wrote.
In a postscript to the letter, Duggar advises fathers to ask their families to forgive them "for the things you have done wrong."
"A great way to start being the spiritual leader and coach of your home is to ask Jesus to forgive you for the things you have done wrong ... and ask Him to take over the steering wheel of your life. (Ask your wife and children for forgiveness also.)" he writes and recommends reading the Bible and praying together as a family.
He also shares some tips on how fathers can "protect" their families from negative influences: "[Remove] books, magazines, television, or internet that have worldly or sensual content," he advises. "Replace them with good things like wholesome music, biographies of great Christians, good old-fashioned family fun and games."
Immediately after the family shared the blog post to their official Facebook page, the internet lit up with criticism from many who questioned the Duggar patriarch's credibility due to the actions of his oldest son, Josh.
As reported by the Gospel Herald, Josh checked into a rehab center three months after admitting to struggling with pornography and cheating on his wife of seven years, Anna, and using the cheating website Ashley Madison to search for extramarital affairs.
The highly-publicized scandal came just months after an admission he made earlier this year, which he had molested five girls back in 2008, when he was just 14, including two of his younger sisters.
"He is one of the last men that need to be preaching to fathers," one woman commented on the Duggar's Facebook page.
"While I understand where Jim Bob is going with the idea of taking sensual material out of the home, the reality children will see it or find it, hence Josh. It's just best to not hide it but allowing the child to know it's not acceptable behavior," added another.
Others contended that Duggar should not be offering such advice to fathers because he and his wife failed to notify legal authorities promptly after Josh's sexual abuse and neglected to provide proper counseling for their victimized daughters.
Meanwhile, Anna Duggar broke her silence about her husband's scandalous behavior in an upcoming three-part TLC special, Jill and Jessa: Counting On (airing Dec. 13).
"It was heartbreaking to hear what had happened," she said.
