Thoughts about 'Shiny Happy People'

Have you ever watched a documentary that dealt fairly with both sides of an issue? Everyone tells their side of the story, we are given all the facts and left to form an educated opinion. That was not the case with a recent documentary, "Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets", on Amazon Prime Video.

The documentary exposed shocking secrets about the Duggar family and the flawed teacher they followed. However, the series could have been titled, "The Case Against Conservative Christianity." There was no attempt to differentiate between cult-like practices and orthodox Christianity.

Allie Beth Stuckey, as well as other Christian content creators, made several observations about problems with the series. First, the show "19 Kids and Counting" was a popular television show because it was unusual. Not because this is how conservative Christians live their lives.

Second, there was the claim that these fundamentalist Christians were trying to infiltrate politics to take over the world. Stuckey points out the obvious. It is mostly progressives who run our country, not Christians. We can think of many recent examples of elected officials siding with progressive extremists over traditional religious values held by most people.

A third area where the documentary attempted to paint a negative picture of conservative Christianity was the subject of homeschooling. They assumed the Duggar children were uneducated because of their belief in the Bible. The reality is that many studies show that homeschooled children score similar or higher than public school children and usually have a higher GPA.

The expert testimonies are mostly given by people who are antagonistic to Christianity. We empathize with people who have been abused by family members or religious leaders. This was apparently true of Bill Gothard's organization, the Institute in Basic Life Principles. or IBLP. Some were even assaulted by Gothard himself. The sad reality is that abuse can happen in any organization that does not have measures in place to protect the vulnerable.

The producers of the show used clips from Paul and Morgan's YouTube channel. This is a young married couple who create Christian content. Paul and Morgan look like any young couple from any of our area churches. We are supposed to be alarmed that these conservative Christians use technology to spread their message. Ironically, the producers gave extensive coverage to a YouTube content creator who makes fun of Christians on "Fundie Fridays".

I cannot recommend this documentary because of the vulgar language used by several of the eyewitnesses. Many of them lumped all Christians together with this bizarre brand of religion. One can see the damage that false teaching did to these people. People are rightly angered when they hear about children being abused. This is where extremist progressives have crossed the line in recent weeks. God has placed within us a fierce drive to protect innocent children.

The Duggars appeared to be a model family who did an amazing job managing a household many times larger than an average family. But everything was not what it appeared to be on the outside. Secret sins have been exposed and now they are facing the consequences. Not only do they not represent all Christians. It is doubtful they represent most people who have participated in IBLP.

The problem is not the Bible, or the specific roles Scripture assigns to men, women, and children in the home and in society. The problem is sin which is missing the mark of what God expects for people. When we sin, we bring shame upon ourselves, our families, and even our faith.

There are many evil people in positions of authority in religion, politics, education, science, and every other field. All will face the judgment of God. Jesus says,

"For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light." Luke 8:17.

When we watch such a documentary, we need to keep in mind the wisdom of Proverbs 18:17 which says, "The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him."

May God give us discernment and help us to live godly lives.