Josiah Duggar recently announced his engagement to family friend, Lauren Swanson. However, the pair claim to have known each other for quite a long time, though it is unclear how the families became acquainted. As her father’s ministry, “Courageous Men of the Word” discusses IBLP, or Institute of Basic Life Principles. Fans of the Duggar family are aware that they often visit conferences associated with the organization, and it is possible the families met at one such event.
The pair have stated that their family has been friends for a long period of time, which seems to be corroborated by her appearance on the show. However, a Facebook page that says they are critical of the Duggar family called “19 Scandals and Counting,” has stated that the Swanson family moved from Georgia to Arkansas to be closer to the Duggars. They speculated that they were hoping that Lauren would marry one of the several boys close to her age , which is exactly what happened.
Lauren Swanson’s family is from central Georgia, as reported by her father’s ministry page, “Courageous Men of the Word.” However, it does not mention the date in which she and her family ended up moving to Arkansas or what the reason was for doing so. In fact, he still owns a business in Georgia, so it is unclear if the family has even moved at all . Those commenting on the “19 Scandals and Counting” posts believe that the Swansons moved for exposure and for a chance for Lauren to appear on the show.
Lauren Swanson and Josiah Duggar announced their engagement this Monday after a month of an official courtship. The pair began their courtship during a trip to Australia and New Zealand, where the Duggar family spent time giving talks to various churches in the region.
Josiah’s wife-to-be studied the same curriculum as Josiah during her homeschooling days, which are rooted in IBLP, or Institute of Basic Life Principles, which is closely associated with the disgraced Bill Gothard.
The Duggar son previously courted a friend named Marjorie Jackson, but the pair decided to call it quits after a few months. It is unclear as to the reasoning behind their break-up, but it is speculated that Marjorie did not want to appear on Counting On and have her life on display.