Season 6 of 19 Kids and Counting. God help us all! (Part 2)

[sissyintexas]

This guy is the Hugh Hefner of Fundieland.

[whirlygirly]

He's much older than that. He's either 76 going on 77, or 77 going on 78.

In one of the pictures on that last link there was a banner that said Happy 78th Birthday.

[DarkAnts]

I never read the TLC boards, but maybe they figured the facebook forums were good enough? Those are certainly, um...active.

http://www.facebook.com/19KidsandCounti ... ts&fref=ts

Removing the boards could be damage control.

[fundyfunland]

Wow! That's so creepy! It looks like a tween girl's birthday party! Maybe it's just the judgement of the photographer (Paine - b/c he's uber creepy anyway), but I doubt it.

[Palimpsest]

What's the dirt on Gothard's brother?

Sometime in the early 80s there was a big scandal and Steve Gothard resigned or was kicked out of IBLP (or whatever the name of the cult was then) for sexual misconduct. He'd had affairs with several female employees, and Bill G was reputed to have known all about it and covered for his brother. Several other people at the top of the organization resigned in disgust, leaving Bill G as the undisputed big cheese of the organization.

Bill Gothard has been accused of favoring and flirting with cute young women and teenage girls -- in a way that most of us would definitely consider sexual harrassment -- but I don't think he's ever been said to have sex with them. Anyone else know?

There is a book: "A Matter of Basic Principles: Bill Gothard & Christian Life" that is an expose of Gothard. I forget who wrote it.

[RosyDaisy]

According to this website http://www.batteredsheep.com/gothard.html Gothard was also accused sexual misconduct.

[Palimpsest]

According to this website http://www.batteredsheep.com/gothard.html Gothard was also accused sexual misconduct.

Yes, that link is to a review of the book I mentioned above. Quote: Earlier, Gothard himself had indecent contact with some of his female staff, and "admitted in staff meetings that these actions were 'moral failures' on his part." (p. 54).

As we have young women coming forward since the book was written, we know that "indecent contact" in the form of inappropriate fondling is continuing, I suppose I'm asking whether we know if unmarried B Gothard has ever had intercourse with anyone. Consensual or not. He is a nasty bit of work.

[Palimpsest]

Sorry for the double post, I waited too long to edit.

To clarify my thoughts: The brother who was forced out confessed to actual affairs. Bill Gothart just admitted to "indecent contact." There is a difference.

I think that BG is a horrible man, a child molester, a sexual harrasser and an asshole. He is obviously a hypocrite in his preaching of abstinence from everything including kissing, etc before marriage -- but I want to know how much of a hypocrite he actually is! Is he a virgin? Salacious minds want to know. :lol:

[ILoveJellybeans]

It wouldnt suprise me if he had, a lot of being part of his cult is that kids are beaten into unquestioningly obeying authority, and are told that sex is dirty and shameful if you do it outside of marriage. It would be easy for him to take advantage of teenage girls (and even adult women) in his cult, and they wouldnt tell because their parents and everyone they are allowed to be around think he is awesome and pretty much God in human form, and they might also be too ashamed to because of the way fundies think that women who get raped deserve it for not being modest enough.

Im not sure if he actually has raped anyone because surely some of them would have got pregnant (unless they were kicked out of their homes for getting pregnant before being married without their parents wondering who the father was, or he forced them to abort because of course for people like that pro life is only when it is convenient)

I never understood why he talks about marriage and child raising when he is unmarried and has no kids. He has no experience of that to go on.

[JeanneD]

It wouldnt suprise me if he had, a lot of being part of his cult is that kids are beaten into unquestioningly obeying authority, and are told that sex is dirty and shameful if you do it outside of marriage. It would be easy for him to take advantage of teenage girls (and even adult women) in his cult, and they wouldnt tell because their parents and everyone they are allowed to be around think he is awesome and pretty much God in human form, and they might also be too ashamed to because of the way fundies think that women who get raped deserve it for not being modest enough.

Im not sure if he actually has raped anyone because surely some of them would have got pregnant (unless they were kicked out of their homes for getting pregnant before being married without their parents wondering who the father was, or he forced them to abort because of course for people like that pro life is only when it is convenient)

I never understood why he talks about marriage and child raising when he is unmarried and has no kids. He has no experience of that to go on.

It is difficult to understand why any man would look to Gothard for advice or guidance. He simply does not live his life according to his own precepts. It does not make sense. With his fixation on sexual purity, you have to wonder about his sex life/appetites. It's so freakin' ugh-tastic.

[Inky]

I read a bit on Recovering Grace about what the young women said re: Bill Gothard. I wonder what Jim-Bobs reaction would be, if it was one of his daughters saying how uncomfortable he made her feel, and unwelcome his attentions. Somehow, I don't think JB would be very happy to have a 78 year old man interested in his daughter, no matter how high up in ATI he was.

[JenniferJuniper]

I read a bit on Recovering Grace about what the young women said re: Bill Gothard. I wonder what Jim-Bobs reaction would be, if it was one of his daughters saying how uncomfortable he made her feel, and unwelcome his attentions. Somehow, I don't think JB would be very happy to have a 78 year old man interested in his daughter, no matter how high up in ATI he was.

His reaction?

That's an easy one.

He wouldn't believe her.

[DarkAnts]

His reaction?

That's an easy one.

He wouldn't believe her.

No, he would tell her that it was her fault. She "defrauded" him.

[RosyDaisy]

I don't think a lot of the girls come forward, and those that do are for the most part are not believed.

[lilith]

The very fact that Gothard has made his preferences regarding women's appearances (long wavy hair, short, not at all overweight) known, and that his followers, from married mothers of eleventy to pre pubescent girls, do their best to conform to it, is creepy and highly disturbing.

For a patriarch like JimBob,encouraging his wife and daughters to present themselves in a way that is aesthetically pleasing to their cult leader should set off alarm bells and should certainly make him think twice before sending Jana off to work at headquarters under Gothard's protection and sending his two prettiest virgin daughters to play a starring role in his 78th birthday party.

[JoanHolloway]

I wonder if, on some level, Jim Bob and his buddies pick up on the creepiness but are afraid to question it? I can't buy that any father, regardless of how brainwashed, would find all this 100% ok...

[Inky]

Gothard seems to have slipped under the radar for most of his life, so I doubt he'd be dumb enough to do anything inappropriate to the daughter of ATI royalty, or of a celebrity (so to speak).

And I'm sure that the older Duggar girls would discuss him among themselves if they found him creepy - though they might not let Jill in on the conversation.

[DarkAnts]

I wonder if, on some level, Jim Bob and his buddies pick up on the creepiness but are afraid to question it? I can't buy that any father, regardless of how brainwashed, would find all this 100% ok...

They are too far down the rabbit hole to see this. Many people dont question a cult leaders methods when they are in this deep.

[wendy-sparkles]

IBLP originally started as a specific youth ministry, with Gothard working with troubled teens, right? Maybe that's why people think the birthday party full of young adults is okay, because he's ~connecting ~with them to keep them off crack or something...

[luckystone]

Can someone post the pics from the party here? I can't see them

[nokidsmom]

They are too far down the rabbit hole to see this. Many people dont question a cult leaders methods when they are in this deep.

Right. When it goes this far, they think of the cult leader as being on the same level of God and will not think to question that person, no matter how outrageous it gets. One example comes to mind. Remember David Koresh? In addition to "marrying" underage girls, he demanded that husbands in the Branch Davidian compound give up their wives to him as well. What should have been a serious WTF moment for these people, just wasn't.