A Georgia native's Facebook post Thursday about the Duggar family has turned red hot: As of this writing, it's been shared more than 238,000 times and earned author Jessica Kirkland national media attention, including a Tuesday CNN appearance.
The post, self-styled as a sermon ("fixing to preach"), has inspired memes and endless thumbs-up emoji and even a proud phone call from Kirkland's mom.
Kirkland spoke out about someone in the family of reality TV stars who, she said, is suffering in the wake of revelations that eldest son Josh molested his siblings when they were all minors; was unfaithful to his wife, Anna; was reportedly maintaining an account on the cheating website Ashley Madison; and was addicted to pornography.
"Let me tell you: Anna Duggar is in the worst position she could possibly be in right now," Kirkland wrote.
"Anna Duggar was crippled by her parents by receiving no education, having no work experience (or life experience, for that matter) and then was shackled to this loser because his family was famous in their religious circle.
"Anna Duggar was taught that her sole purpose in life, the most meaningful thing she could do, was to be chaste and proper, a devout wife, and a mother. Anna Duggar did that! Anna Duggar followed the rules that were imposed on her from the get-go and this is what she got in reward."
Kirland continued: "She lived up to the standard that men set for her of being chaste and Godly and in return, the man who demanded this of her sought women who were the opposite. 'Be this,' they told her. She was. It wasn't enough.
"What is Anna Duggar supposed to do?"
This isn't the first time support for Anna Duggar has gone public. Her brother recently appeared to defend her in a series of Facebook comments.
Kirkland told 11 Alive that her post was not an attack on Christianity, but an attack on harmful conformity.
"I had a moment thinking, maybe I shouldn't post it," she said. "Being from Georgia, I have a lot of friends and family members who are devout Christians"
But as she wrote in her post: "As a mother of daughters, this makes me ill. Parents, WE MUST DO BETTER BY OUR DAUGHTERS. Boys, men, are born with power. Girls have to command it for themselves. They aren't given it. They assume it and take it. But you have to teach them to do it, that they can do it."
A source close to the Duggars told People that Anna Duggar "will not leave" Josh, and is instead turning more to her faith.
Kirkland wrote in her post: "Somewhere, Anna Duggar is sitting in prayer, praying not for the strength to get out and stand on her own, but for the strength to stand by this man she is unfortunately married to. To lower herself so that he may rise up on her back."
It should be the other way, she wrote: "Josh Duggar should be cowering in fear."
"I wish someone had ever, just once, told Anna she was capable of this. That she knew she is," Kirkland concluded her post. "As for my girls, I'll raise them to think they breathe fire."
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