The Duggars became reality stars because of their devotion to breeding.
In the early days, especially, that was their hook -- step right up and see the Amazing Fertile Woman and the Man Who Simply Refuses to Pull Out!
These days, however, the freak show focuses more on the Duggars' extremely conservative belief system.
In order to receive Jim Bob's approval (and his money), adult children must conform to the patriarch's religious beliefs.
And in order to marry into the Counting On clan, potential suitors have to prove they're devoted to three things -- God, Jim Bob, and whatever Duggar they're planning to make a bunch of babies with.
These days, the Duggars are less shy than ever about sharing their evangelical views with the world.
One favorite practice of the family is to gather and take turns "testifying" about the exact moment when they were "saved."
A preview for an upcoming Easter special entitled Counting Now: A New Life finds the Jim Bob and Michelle exchanging salvation origin stories with daughter Jill and her husband, Ben Seewald.
“Well, as a teenager, I had a lot of struggles of consciousness just growing up, struggling with guilt and things [and] knowing that I wasn’t the person that I should be,” Ben explains in the clip obtained by Us Weekly.
“I’d done things that I shouldn’t have done," he added.
"About the time I was 15, I just remember hearing about what Jesus had done on the cross and how He died for our sins, He did everything that was necessary for me to be saved. ”
From there, Seewald offered up a nature metaphor:
“it was like springtime in my soul” when he began realizing these things. “I love springtime, because as the flowers are starting to bloom and you see, like, those first daffodils, you’re like, spring is coming,” he continued.
“There’s still going to be some cold days, but we have hope that we’re gonna see green leaves on the trees again. Not everything’s going to be gray forever.”
Currently, Jessa Duggar is pregnant with her fourth child, and she shared her own discovery of divine intervention during the conversation:
“I was a difficult person to be around. I was contentious, I was selfish and self-centered, and I was coming to a place where I was not content with staying that way,” she shared.
“I wanted to see a change in my life.
“I remember praying again and acknowledging my sin before God and the repenting of that and seeing a big change in my life,” Jill added before turning to her mother, Michelle Duggar.
“Patience as a parent is something I pray for more and more, I say, ‘Please, I pray for the patience of my mother.'”
Sounds like Derick and Jessa are still a match made in heaven.
Well, hey -- maybe that 423-question application that Jim Bob makes his daughters' suitors fill out isn't such a crazy idea after all!
(Just kidding, it's 100 percent completely insane!)
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