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In the real world, religious beliefs do not trump the law.

It does not or should not trump proven medical, psychological or scientific research and fact.

The Duggar family from TLC’s “19 Kids And Counting” are learning about that the hard way after they recently admitted that their eldest son Josh sexually abused his own younger sisters and a woman who once belonged to their same religious movement.

The family says Josh was a teenager at the time and they didn’t report it to authorities because they handled it the way their religion specified, through spiritual principals.

Vickye Garrison, a former member of the so called “Quiverfull” movement told me on CNN that the family sees God as the first one to deal with the problem, the father is the second and then the church elders or the church body are the third.

Garrison says they see this as a heart problem that should be interpreted biblically rather than one that should be dealt with professionally or legally.

Garrison – “They’re seeing angels and demons at work here, they’re seeing spiritual forces of darkness, so they believe that Satan has brought this into their home, that they’re under an attack and that this is a test from God. This is the kind of thing that’s going on in their mind.  They’re not even thinking about things like consenting..”

Lemon – “Doesn’t that seem like a disconnection from reality?

Garrison – “It is a major disconnect from reality.  I always refer to Quiverfull as being a very powerful head trip in which you get this vision and all of a sudden it’s like putting on this huge filter and everything that comes at you, every thought has to be filtered through and channeled through this idea, what does god want, what does god say, what ideal can we glean from the bible that applies to this situation.”

That type of thinking and those actions may make them feel better, or may assuage their own guilt, but it is indeed a disconnection from reality and more importantly is very dangerous.

It ultimately ignores the victim while setting the perpetrator free through some arbitrary and fanciful sense of forgiveness.

The Duggar father or mother don’t need to forgive their son.

The daughters who he has confessed to molesting are the ones who decide whether they want to forgive their brother – or not, and most likely at that age they don’t have the mental capacity or strength to judge that for themselves.

After all they are children.

It is obviously ok to have faith in a higher power, whatever you want to call it.

But it is not ok for that faith to dictate common sense.

Many times that is the problem when people begin the defense of anything with “God said.”

It often ignores those who need to be heard first have to say – the victims.

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Don Lemon: Your God or Religious Beliefs Do Not Trump The Law  was originally published on blackamericaweb.com