Howard Books The Duggar daughters are opening up about their strict Christian rules when it comes to dating.
The conservative TV family's four oldest girls, Jana, 24, Jill, 22, Jessa, 21, and Jinger, 20, are revealing secrets of their personal lives and relationships in their new book Growing Up Duggar.
The daughters say (via the Mail), "It's easy to put yourself into physical and moral danger and give into those emotions or sensual thoughts that promise pleasant, but only temporary, fulfillment," adding that they avoid men to ensure they don't sin.
"By censoring our thoughts through the filter of God's word, we will be able to recant any wrong thoughts or temptations that try to sneak in," they say.
Despite placing a strict control on their desires, the girls say they "have a natural physical desire toward men" and "thank God for making us ‘normal.'"
Jessa is currently the only one of the four who's courting a man. She announced almost six months ago that she had begun seeing fellow churchgoer Ben Seewald.
"[They're] enjoying getting to know each other and are recommending sermons to one another," Jessa's dad, Jim Bob Duggar, said at the time, adding, "Courting is getting to know each other in a group setting, both families spending time together and the couple setting goals together to determine if they are meant to marry. With dating, a couple will often pair off alone and that sometimes leads to a more physical relationship."
In the new book, Jessa clarifies that she and Ben limit their physical contact to only "side hugging" to say hello and goodbye.