Note: John-Henry Westen is the editor-in-chief of LifeSiteNews.
Josh Duggar’s admission that he maintained paid accounts on the adultery website Ashley Madison and was unfaithful to his wife are deplorable and very sad to hear. Our hearts go out to his wife, his children, and anyone else who has been betrayed and hurt by his actions.
This is an indication once again of the grave harm caused by our hyper-sexualized culture to families and society in general. It is also further confirmation that pornography is not just a harmless form of entertainment, but one that, as it did with Josh, often leads its users to act out in the real world, harming those closest to them and destroying marriages.
In such situations, where a leader in the public eye is in a serious violation of his marital vows, he cannot be trusted to remain in leadership. Josh has already stepped out of leadership. He now needs help to overcome his inability to resist sinful inclinations.
Christ did not condemn the woman caught in adultery, but he did tell her to 'sin no more.' Where there is true repentance, Jesus forgives immediately and is able to restore individuals and families to truth and love. The path to healing is found when we acknowledge our faults, humbly confess them, and, with the help of God, commit never to do them again.
We pray that Josh embraces such repentance, and that he and his family find this path towards healing. Indeed, we pray for the whole Duggar family, and for Anna and their children especially, as this terrible trial will be hardest on them.