The Duggar family – and those who have married into it – have been known for having controversial opinions every now and then, and this time, it’s Jessa Duggar‘s husband, Ben Seewald, who’s facing the backlash. Earlier this week, Ben shared his latest read in a post on Instagram, and people aren’t holding back when it comes to telling him that his thoughts on empathy aren’t exactly in line with what the family claims to believe.
Ben shared a book called ‘Toxic Empathy.’
Written by conservative podcast host and commentator Allie Beth Stuckey, the book in Ben’s post is called Toxic Empathy: How Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion. According to the book’s description, it “exposes the logical pitfalls and moral consequences of toxic empathy, equipping Christians with research-backed, Biblical truths to dismantle the progressive lies that have permeated our culture – and our church.”
Now that Ben has read it, it sounds like he’s a big fan. “Empathy is good … but much of what passes for empathy these days is insidiously evil and destructive,” he wrote in his Instagram caption. “This book cuts through the clouds of confusion with a clear, trustworthy path forward. I highly recommend it to you.”
People weren’t convinced that this shows Ben is practicing what he preaches.
Instead of sparking interest in the book, it appears that Ben has actually upset many of his followers, who flooded his comments with their concerns about its message.
“Is there a single person out there whose views were changed by this book?” one commenter asked. “Seems more likely it’s just a way for people to feel good about denying basic human rights to their neighbors.”
Others didn’t think the idea of empathy being toxic was very Christian, especially considering that Ben is a pastor at his church. “You are sadly so wrong here and yet you call yourself a pastor. I hope that one day you will understand the teachings of Christ,” one person wrote.
Several people said this was their final straw and have unfollowed Ben.
Many of Ben’s followers seem disappointed enough that he would promote a book like this one that they announced they won’t be keeping up with him on social media anymore.
“Immediate unfollow, empathy is the heart of Jesus Christ, but considering your fundamentalist background, this is not a shocker,” read one comment.
Duggar critics called the book ‘offensive.’
On Reddit, people aren’t exactly impressed, either – and they’re definitely not shy about sharing their thoughts. One critic wrote, “Jesus was progressive. That was literally his whole thing. Why is it so hard for these hateful people to understand that?”
Ben did attempt to explain his view in a comment on the Instagram post, though. He wrote, “But much of what passes for ’empathy’ is actually harmful. True empathy, according to love and truth, is good [and] beautiful and we can’t have enough of it. But there is a counterfeit out there …”
