Looking at the Josh Duggar police report, one question is obvious--how in the world did Jim Bob and Michelle not go to the police immediately? This was light years beyond kids messing around. People don't seem to get that Jim Bob and Michelle's foot-dragging on this amounted to child endangerment. That's what makes them, not Josh, the real villains in this case.
The obvious question--why would Jim Bob and Michelle decide to light the fuse on what could have been a time bomb? Based on what we know about the case and the Duggars' culture, it's very possible that they were afraid that reporting it would damage the "body of Christ."
When this first came up, my thoughts immediately turned to Bob Jones University's byzantine handling of allegations of sexual assault. If you'll remember, several accusers were told that if they moved forward with their claims, it risked "harming the body of Christ." Supposedly, if they reported it, they could be held responsible for the suspected assailant losing his salvation.
The Duggars, remember, are independent Baptists--like most of BJU's constituency. That made me wonder--were the Duggars thinking along the same lines as BJU's officials? It's very possible, given that sex crimes have long been swept under the rug in the IFB community. Plus, under the Christian patriarchy system, Josh is under his father's command as long as he lives under his roof--a corollary of this being that the father is responsible for his kids' salvation. It could potentially explain why the girls didn't report it even if they wanted to do so.
Given the circumstances, I have to hope that someone takes a closer look at the Duggars' church. Jim Bob, remember, went to his church's elders after the second abuse incident in 2003. One of the few unanswered questions is whether the elders told him not to go further than whatever "counseling" program in which Josh ultimately enrolled. In this environment, the pastor and elders' word is more or less the law.
Granted, "I was just following my elders' orders" wouldn't nearly be enough to turn down the well-deserved heat the Duggars are getting. But it makes a big difference whether Jim Bob and Michelle's decision to slow-walk reporting Josh's actions was an act of evil or an act of spinelessness.