Infidelity. Divorce. Marriages. Love. These words have been some of the top themes in the media recently. They represent things that people want or strive to avoid, but no matter who you are, these words hold some meaning to you. Whether the meaning is on a personal level or not is up to you. We all know about Brad and Jen years ago splitting over Angelina, as well as the big break-up between Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise, to name a few of the countless divorces of those in the public eye. Yet recently the biggest names that relate the most to these themes deal with couples like Blake and Miranda as well as Josh Duggar and his wife Anna. These couples have raised the lingering question that people have wondered in recent years, "Can marriage really stand the test of time?"
The first of the big scandals surrounding these themes came when country royalty Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton decided to split, leaving their fans heartbroken. Rumors spread like wildfire trying to figure out the reason as to why these love birds would take leave of their love that has captivated millions. They were the people's sweethearts; no one thought that their marriage would end in divorce. Yet isn't that the key, no one truly expects to end marriage in divorce. The rumors flew that one of them cheated on the other, first it was said that Blake cheated, and then next it was Miranda, yet no one knows the real reason. People voiced their opinions that if the rumors were true then it was good for them to split. Yet this is where others questioned what happened to the way that marriages used to be when couples would stay together, no matter the reason.
Now if you fast forward on Tuesday, August 18, when a group of hackers got into a website called Ashley Madison, a "discrete" sexual favors site, and released names of clients to the media. The biggest name that was released by Gawker was Josh Duggar who was a part of the reality TV show "19 Kids and Counting," which has recently been taken off the air due to Josh admitting, back in May, to molesting five girls when he was a young teenager. His wife, Anna, at the time of the first scandal released a statement that she would stand by her husband, and knew of his transgressions. Due to the recent events, Anna has yet to release a statement, unlike her husband.
I have been the biggest hypocrite ever. While espousing faith and family values, I have secretly over the last several years been viewing pornography on the internet and this became a secret addiction and I became unfaithful to my wife. I am so ashamed of the double life that I have been living and am grieved for the hurt, pain and disgrace my sin has caused my wife and family, and most of all Jesus and all those who profess faith in Him. I brought hurt and a reproach to my family, close friends and the fans of our show with my actions that happened when I was 14-15 years old, and now I have re-broken their trust. The last few years, while publicly stating I was fighting against immorality in our country while hiding my own personal failings.As I am learning the hard way, we have the freedom to choose our actions, but we do not get to choose our consequences. I deeply regret all the hurt I have caused so many by being such a bad example. I humbly ask for your forgiveness. Please pray for my precious wife Anna and our family during this time. ~ Josh Duggar
It is said that Anna will stick by her husband's side through it all and try to work it out, which has landed her major backlash. The public has been outraged by both of the marriages, and heavily criticized. Divorce is a word that many have been affected by.
Regardless of what the real truth is behind these broken relationships, are you going to decide if love is worth the risk or not? Or will you allow for the media and its portrayal of love be your deciding factor?
