Pastor caught molesting young girls gets support from colleague who says he was 'playing doctor'

oge okonkwo

May 26, 2015 6:58 AM

Carrie Hurd, the wife of Texas minister Patrick Hurd, also referred to Josh's actions as 'a little Christian misbehavior' and said he should be 'left alone'.

Josh Duggar with his wife Anna

A pastor's wife and mother of eleven has sparked outrage online after suggesting that 19 Kids and Counting star Josh Duggar was simply 'playing doctor' when he molested young girls as they slept.

Daily Mail reports that in a rant on a Quiverfull critic's Facebook page, Carrie Hurd, the wife of Texas minister Patrick Hurd, also referred to Josh's actions as 'a little Christian misbehavior' and said he should be 'left alone'.

Using her husband’s account to address atheist Vyckie Garrison, she wrote: 'When I was a kid, it was often called "playing doctor", there were just as many girls initiating this kind of behavior as boys.

'Most of those never went on to perp horrible things. The Duggars, who I have never watched - am not a fan, did it properly and the 14 year old boy should probably be left alone to live a good life.'

She added: 'You troll the news for any little Christian misbehavior. Get a life! Go to Iraq and fight ISIS if you are seriously worried about women being treated well by men and society.'

Mrs Hurd's comment was posted on Saturday - just two days after it emerged that Josh, now 27, had admitted to molesting several young girls at his family's Arkansas home when he was a teenager.

It has since provoked a storm of criticism on Ms Garrison's Facebook page, with many accusing Mrs Hurd of defending sexual assault and 'making excuses' for a boy who 'knew what he was doing'.

Ms Garrison herself told Daily Mail Online on Sunday that Mrs Hurd's comment had left her 'flabbergasted', saying: 'It was quite a thing to come out with. It was beyond ignorant.'

Daily Mail says Facebook user Lynn Beisner responded to Mrs Hurd's post with the words: 'The difference between playing doctor and sexual assault is consent. And a sleeping child cannot give consent. Period.'

Another, Cat Givens, wrote: 'Molestation is not the same as "playing doctor"', while Tina Littleton said: 'Who are the people never to be blamed in child molestation cases? Answer: The victims.'

And one user noted: 'When I was fourteen I was training to be on a search and rescue team... That age is plenty old enough to have a moral compass and to know exactly what he was doing.'

Like the Duggars, the Hurds are part of the conservative fundamentalist Quiverfull movement, which promotes the beliefs that children are a blessing from God and families should 'trust the Lord' with their family planning. Therefore, couples should eschew all birth control, including sterilization, it teaches.

oge okonkwo