More thoughts on #AnnaDuggar, since people are still blaming her for enabling Josh.

She was groomed from birth to be a submissive wife. Physically and emotionally isolated from society. Parents had a jail ministry so she was well accustomed to supporting and caring for 1/

people convicted of all sorts of crimes, and judging them on their “love for Jesus” rather than their actions.

Her parents knew about Josh’s behaviour and still have their permission for them to marry - in this culture parental consent is vital, so Anna is used to having 2/

her wishes come second. The whole idea of courtship is that a young couple cannot and should not decide alone that they want to marry. Parental involvement is considered more godly- but again this undermines her being able to make adult decisions.

Her wedding was broadcast 3/

on a popular TV show. Imagine planning your big day and knowing that all your choices, from your dress to your guests to your food, will be seen by your community as a “witness for Jesus”. You can’t just have what you like, you have to show how godly you are. 4/

Then, the births of several of her children were filmed for the show. I cannot imagine the stress of that. At least one of her kids was born on the toilet at home; she was in such a vulnerable state and this intimate moment was being recorded for national television. 5/

This is how cults work. They break you down. They take away your sense of self and replace it with a sense of duty. They tell you they love you, but then they exploit your most vulnerable moments for their own gain. How much of the TLC money does Anna personally 6/

have access to? I’m sure she has benefitted from it at times, but how much would you charge to have your labour and delivery shown to the public? Would you allow your father in law to receive and control the payment for that event? My answer is FUCK NO. 7/

Please understand that Anna had no real choice in the matter. Yes, in a technical sense, people always have choices. But in reality, coercive control takes that choice away, because you’re afraid that you will lose everything, even your life, if you step out of line. 8/

When you’ve grown up being told that you’re a sinner, you’re just as bad as everyone else, and you shouldn’t trust your own judgment, you don’t really have the capacity to resist. You’ve never made independent decisions. And it’s not just about people directly saying no. 9/

It’s about people passive-aggressively praying at you when they think you’re wrong. It’s about being silently excluded but not being able to leave your community. It’s about being afraid you won’t get the money and support you need to survive. It’s about your body breaking 10/

down because it’s trying to warn you that this stress is untenable, but you get judged or told you must be holding on to unconfessed sin, because otherwise you’d be healthy and happy. You can grieve but you can never say you want to leave because that’s “bitterness”. 11/

Please understand that people in these cults can live every day afraid that they or their loved ones will literally be killed if they step out of line. Imagine the level of fear that means living with a paedophile feels like a safer option. 12/

I actually cannot stress that enough. It’s easy to judge her for not leaving, but can you imagine the level of terror and dread that means you literally prefer to live with a pedophile than face the consequences of leaving your marriage and community? Most people cannot. 13/

These cults need exposing. These children need protecting. But the adults are vulnerable too. Anna is also a victim of #JoshDuggar and his family, and the #IBLP #Gothard cult. I hope CPS intervene and she is supported to get away from this awful situation. /end