Amy Duggar Asserts the Bible Isn’t a ‘PR Strategy’ Following Joseph’s Request
Amy Duggar King is subtly responding to cousin Joseph Duggar’s statement about reading the Bible while in jail after his arrest for child molestation.
“I just needed to share something quickly. The Bible isn’t a PR tactic. One can read scriptures constantly yet still avoid facing the truth. Highlighting verses won’t change your past actions. We mustn’t use faith as a disguise,” Amy, 39, expressed in a Sunday, March 29, Instagram post. “So, God isn’t really impressed by your reading.”
She went on to say, “God values transformation. He appreciates when someone steps forward and truly heals by being honest. If there’s no change in your life, then real repentance doesn’t exist.”
Amy captioned the post, “You shall know them by their fruit. Can I get an Amen?”
Earlier this month, it was reported that Joseph, 31, was arrested on suspicion of lewd and lascivious conduct involving the molestation of a victim under 12 years old, as well as lewd and lascivious behavior by someone 18 or older. His arrest followed allegations from a 14-year-old girl who claimed that Joseph molested her while they were vacationing in Panama City Beach, Florida, in 2020.
Joseph appeared virtually in court on March 20 and did not enter a plea. He waived his right to an extradition hearing and is currently awaiting extradition to Florida.
“I’ve been spending a lot of time reading, uh, reading the Bible; they got me a Bible in here,” Joseph told his wife Kendra Duggar during a phone call from the detention center, which was obtained by People on Friday, March 27. “I’m in solitary [confinement].”
Joseph mentioned to his wife, with whom he shares four children, that he spends “23 hours of the day” in “an 8-by-10 area” at the detention center.
“It’s a pretty small area, but I’ve been able to read quite a bit, and I’m resting some, although I’m not sleeping well at night,” he reported.
Days after Joseph’s arrest, Us Weekly confirmed that Kendra, 27, was also arrested. She was released the same day on a $1,470 bond. Both face charges of endangering the welfare of a minor, along with four counts of second-degree false imprisonment.
A source familiar with the case told Us on March 21 that Kendra’s arrest “has nothing to do with Joseph’s” molestation charge, but did note that “one led to the other.”
“After his arrest, a home study is automatically conducted if children reside there. Investigators visited her home,” the source explained. “They found two rooms where the lock was on the outside instead of the inside, leading to her arrest and the removal of her children, as this was considered evidence of improperly detaining them.”
A spokesperson for the Duggar family commented to Us, “[Kendra’s] charges are misdemeanors and completely unrelated to the situation in Florida.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text the Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
