Ben Seewald's Dad Slams Josh Duggar's "Extensive Lifestyle of Evil" in Blog Post: He "Was a Pretender"

Former 19 Kids and Counting star continues to receive heat from his extended family

By Mike Vulpo Aug 31, 2015 9:24 PMTags
Josh Duggar AP Photo/Danny Johnston

Josh Duggar's past actions continue to be scrutinized in the present by both the public and his extended family.

Less than a week after the former 19 Kids and Counting star checked himself into a "long-term treatment center" following his cheating admission, certain relatives are decidedly not coming to his defense.

Jessa Duggar's husband, Ben Seewald, has remained quiet on the scandal. His father, however, is more than ready to speak out. In a new blog post titled "Grief, Shame, and Taking the Lord's Name in Vain," Michael Seewald shares his issues with the entire scandal.

"It distresses me to say that Josh Duggar's greatest sin is a byproduct of the sum total of his secretly sinful lifestyle. That is, that by his hypocrisy, he blasphemed the name of God," Michael wrote. "He claimed to be a Christian, but by his deeds he has suggested otherwise. With the name of God on his lips he lived a covert and extensive lifestyle of evil."

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He continued, "The thing that is so hurtful is that he was a loud voice endorsing Christian ethics and he has been shown to be a fraud. I am profoundly grieved that he attained such a platform only to bring shame on God's holy name and the Christian faith."

Michael is also the first to admit that he was one of the many who thought Josh was a changed man after learning about his "scandal" as a teenager. Ben's dad, however, argues that Josh simply "deceived us all."

"To the person reading this, I want to caution you. Josh was a pretender," Michael wrote. "True Christians fail often, but their lives are truly being conformed to the image of Christ. Do not look at Josh and justify your own sins by dismissing the reality of genuine faith and a holy God."

While Michael admits he never developed a strong relationship with Josh, his actions have been damaging for so many others. As a result, he can't help but have sympathy for those closest to him.

"Though I have never gotten to know Josh very well, I have great respect for his sorrowing parents and immense sympathy for his dear wife Anna and their four children," he wrote. "I myself have been mourning over the irreparable damage that has been done to many by this whole circumstance, yet the reason I feel obliged to make these remarks is an overwhelming desire to vindicate the name of God."