Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Recap: Duggar Campout & Schoolhouse Duggars

On tonight's episodes of "19 Kids and Counting.."
Duggar Campout:
  • Joy heads over to help Anna with her little ones. "Joy really has a servant's heart," commends Josh. "She just jumps in and helps."
  • Mackynzie is adjusting quickly to having another child in the family. One of her favorite things to do is "nurse" her baby dolls while Mommy nurses Michael. "I thought Mackynzie was a really easy baby," says Anna. "But Michel seems even easier!"
  • Back at Jim Bob and Michelle's, the family prepares for a backyard cookout and campout. Mom, the little ones, and the older children opt to sleep in the air-conditioned house, but Dad and the "middle kids" rough it outside.
Schoolhouse Duggars:
  • Jim Bob and Michelle emphasize that they are NOT against public schools. (In fact, both attended--and enjoyed--public school as kids.) "We personally have just made the choice to homeschool," explains the mom of 19. The goal is to protect their kids from unnecessary peer pressures, spend quality time as a family, and develop a ministry mindset.
  • At the annual ATI Homeschool Conference, the entire family learns new skills and enjoys plenty of fun and fellowship.
  • Alert Cadet Academy is the program, similar to boy scouts, that the "middle boys" attend at ATI. When asked if she is confident in the younger boys' ability to take care of her if they were stranded in the wilderness, Michelle responds, laughingly: "No. Not confident. I don't think they're quite that well-trained!"
  • Back home, the Duggars head to Skyline Heights Elementary School in Harrison, Arkansas, to participate in International Day. 
  • "I really have a heart for the Spanish people," says 20-year-old Jill. "I really am striving and praying to be able to learn Spanish fluently." And she is spreading that love for the language to the other kids by posting Spanish flashcards throughout the house and taking them to a Spanish tutor. 
  • CollegePlus! coach Brittany Crist works with the older kids, who are in the process of earning their accredited bachelor's degrees.
  • The Duggar household is so busy, how do they find time (and quiet) to study? Jinger gives us an insiders' tip: "Setting aside a certain time during the day that you're going to go and study for several hours, that's the best way to get it accomplished."


  1. What religion do the Duggars follow. From my understanding it seems like mormonsim, but i could be wrong? Could someone clarify for me.

  2. Hi Anonymous!

    The Duggars are Bible-believing, Evangelical Christians.

    Thanks for reading!
    Lily and Ellie

  3. Today Mr. and Mrs. Duggar spoke at Liberty U's convo. form my understanding. I don't know if ant of the kids were there, though. I don't think they were. But they could have been.

  4. I enjoyed these episodes a lot. I like seeing the Duggars at home, rather than on trips/vacations. I enjoy seeing how a typical day goes.

  5. I too like the show much better when they are doing things at home or at least local to their house.
    I think they are much more of an encouragement when we can see them handling every day life.

  6. I believe the Duggars are Conservative Baptist. They said so on their website.

  7. Hi Anonymous!

    The definition of Evangelical is "concerned with or relating to the preaching of the Christian Gospel," so the Duggars are Evangelical Christians.

    Their roots are in the Baptist Church, and they still feel a close connection to that denomination (page 128 of "A Love that Multiplies"). However, they left their Baptist church years ago to start a home church fellowship with other like-minded families. The main reason was that they desired to study the Bible together as a family, instead of in separate classrooms (page 129 of "A Love That Multiplies").

    The Duggars believe that "A church is not a building or a list of rules or traditions. It is a group of believers getting together to have fellowship, Bible study, worshiping God together, and challenging each other to fulfill Christ's commands" ("A Love That Multiplies page 131).

    Hope this answers your question!
    ~Lily and Ellie

  8. The Duggars never said on their website that they are Conservative Baptist. It said on the Wikipedia page for 19 Kids and Counting that they are Conservative Christians. However, WIkipedia is usually not accurate because people can edit it. The Duggars said in their book, "A Love That Multiplies," that they are not Quiverfull and that they are just Christians who love the Lord. I don't remember the page number right now. Also I don't see why it matters what religion they are, as long as they love the Lord and live out their faith fully. There are a lot of people who say they are Christian, yet they are disrespectful to their parents and siblings. The Duggars live out the Christian faith and they are an excellent example on how to be a true Christian. There are good Christians and there are bad Christians, just as there are good non-Christians and there are bad non-Christians. Your faith does not make you a bad person, it is how you choose to live out your faith. I am sorry it is so long, but I didn't want anyone to take it the wrong way.

  9. Despite the Duggars claiming that they are not Quiverfull, the fact is that they are involved in several Quiverfull and patriarchal groups, including the Advanced Training Institute and the Institute of Basic Life Principles, as well as the Vision Forum. ATI/IBLP membership is strictly Quiverfull, making it virtually impossible to not be Quiverfull and still belong to it.

    Probably because the Quiverfull/Patriarchy movement is strongly associated with abuse and a cultish mentality (Gothard and Philips are the leaders of ATI and the Vision Forum, respectively, both legalistic cults) , the Duggars choose to say that they are not involved in the movement.

    But be not deceived, the Duggars are most definitely Quiverfull.

  10. the one episode of the Duggers that I enjoyed the most was when Michelle was expecting and the whole family met,and everyone picked out a name and put it into a hat and one was drawn out. That was a real family night for me...

  11. They are not Mormon. They are a denomination of Baptist, I think . Its been quite a few episodes back. They are conservative like the Mormons, but don't believe in the Book of Mormon, John Smith of any of the other specifically Mormon things.

