Many claim Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are legalistic with all of the rules they put upon their children. Were they? Legalistic “describes a way of thinking or behaving that is excessively focused on rules and details, often to the point of missing the spirit or intent behind them.” Let’s go through some of the ways the Duggars are “legalistic” as many claim.

They wanted their children to dress modestly. The girls wore skirts and dresses below their knees. The boys and girls swam in bathing suits that covered them up. Is this legalistic? Recently, I found a pastor named Robert R. Reed. Here is what he had to say about this topic:

“Clothing is to conceal, not to reveal. In the Garden of Eden, God designed clothes to cover our first parents’ nakedness, for man could not clothe himself. Adam and Eve made aprons, but God made coats. There is a difference between the two. As a Christian, we must let God be our designer and not man. The clothing industry is controlled by pagans, and they know what sells. Satan has an agenda, and please understand that the fashion world is not neutral. Fashions and styles are to arouse the passions of the flesh. In many cases, packaging is more sensual than raw nudity. We must not allow the world to dictate what we wear. God’s Word must be our standard in all areas of Christian life, especially in modesty.”

As parents, it is our responsibility to decide what modesty is for our children. The Duggar parent’s goal was to make sure they were modest, so they had standards for their children. This is not legalistic.

The Duggars homeschooled their children. Is this legalistic? Here is what Pastor Reed wrote about this:

“We are not to be conformed to the world (Romans 12:1-2) and evil communication corrupts good manners (I Corinthians 15:33). The system is anti-God, anti-Christian, and anti-family. Every public school should be shut down in America, and this could be done if it was not tax funded. There is a war going on for the souls of our children. The indoctrination of our children goes on for twelve years, seven hours a day, one hundred and eighty days a year. Be obedient to God’s Word and learn not the way of the heathen (Jeremiah 10:2).”

God commands parents to raise their children in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord, NOT pagans who hate God and His ways.

They raised their daughters to be keepers at home. Is this legalistic? Here is what the pastor wrote about this:

“The command to be ‘keepers at home’ is given by the Lord Himself in Titus 2:5, ‘To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.’ Also, in I Timothy 5:14, these instructions are given to young women, ‘I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.’ If a woman refuses to be a ‘keeper at home’ she blasphemes the Word of God, that is, through her actions she speaks against God’s commandments.”

And he wrote this in another article:

“According to Scripture, a woman has a very special and honored calling. God has given her a ministry like no other. First, she is to be a helpmate to her husband. She is to become a partner with him in helping him fulfill his commission (Genesis 2:18-25). Secondly, she is to bear children and guide the home according to I Timothy 2:8-15 and I Timothy 5:14. If she obeys this command, there will be no time to work outside the home. In order to fulfill her ministry properly, she is told to be a keeper at home. This is not an option; it is a command.”

They didn’t believe their children should go to college. Here’s what Pastor Reed wrote about this:

“College is one of the most dangerous places in the world. After four years of brainwashing, the individual is robbed of virtue and godly character. The cultural environment in these places is far different from the Lord’s ways. The word culture is simply ‘religion externalized,’ which is the outworking of the faith of a people. These universities are not only a bad influence but also influence the whole of our society through their teachings.”

They raised their children to be sexually pure before marriage and even save the first kiss until marriage? Is this legalistic? Here is what Pastor Reed wrote about this:

“The purpose of courtship is to avoid fornication and to choose the right mate in obedience to God. The Bible says in I Corinthians 7:1-2, ‘It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.’ Fornication (sex outside of marriage) has a devastating effect upon an individual (II Corinthians 6:15-7:2). Please notice in verse 1 that a man is not to ‘touch’ a woman, that is, he is not to touch her in a casual or sexual manner outside of marriage (Proverbs 6:29, Ruth 2:9, Genesis 20:4,6). Except for a holy hand shake, physical expression between a man and a woman must be confined to marriage (Proverbs 5:15-23, 7:13-18). Petting, hugging, touching, or even holding hands can stimulate a person sexually; for every part of the body is subject to sexual stimulation. Remember petting is the first step to adultery. As I heard someone once say, ‘Don’t touch a girl unless she is falling out of a bus that is running 75 miles an hour.'”

I encourage you to watch this movie called Pamela’s Prayer on YouTube with your teenage children about saving the first kiss until marriage. It is excellent!

They taught their children that children are a blessing and birth control is not from God. Here is what Pastor Reed wrote about this:

“First of all, there is not one verse in God’s Holy Word to support birth control. The first blessing and commandment in the Bible relates to children in Genesis 1:27-28. This commandment has never been changed by God, nor has it been fulfilled by man. This truth is represented in Genesis 9:1, 7; 35:11, and Psalms 127:3. When God says something once, it is important, but when it is repeated twice or even three times, it is established as a universal truth. In Genesis 1:28, please notice that the words fruitful, multiply, and replenish promote having children. Actually, the main purpose of marriage is for the propagation of the human race.”

Did you know that the Church taught and held to all of these beliefs up until a few generations ago? It was normal to teach Christian women to be sexually pure before marriage, keepers at home, dress modestly, and bear and raise their children. None of this was considered legalistic up until recently. Now, most churches fail to teach any of these things, and we wonder why the Church has become so powerless to influence culture for good.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:1,2

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