Amy Duggar’s husband Dillon King jokes he would ‘catch on fire’ if he walked into her family’s strict church
AMY Duggar's husband joked he'd likely burst into flames if he ever stepped foot inside her uncle Jim Bob's incredibly strict Christian church.
In an exclusive interview with The U.S. Sun, Dillon King poked fun at the Duggar patriarch and his wife Michelle.
Discussing Jim Bob and Michelle's religious beliefs, and the austere rules they raised their 19 children under, Dillon laughed: "I've never actually been to their church and I probably won't.
"I’d probably catch on fire as soon as I walk in with how they do things ... my shoes would melt."
Interjecting, Amy giggled: "Oh he's such a liar!"
She then went on to explain the difference between her and Dillon's religious beliefs to those of her estranged cousins.
Read More Duggar News
"Our church is more like nondenominational so we can have a beer and love Jesus, you know?
"I feel that's totally fine. I feel that Jesus would have a beer with us, I really do."
With Dillon pointing out the biblical claim Jesus once turned water into wine, Amy continued: "My family used to say, ‘Um, no, it was a different kind of wine back then.'
"Then why were they drunk? It doesn't make sense," she added.
"They’d go, 'well, it wasn't fermented.'"
STRICT FAMILY RULES
During the exclusive sit-down, Amy also revealed how she grew up in a significantly more laid-back household than her Duggar cousins.
The 36-year-old said she grew up kissing boys, listening to rock music, and wearing swimsuits - but she was forced to hide much of her lifestyle from her relatives.
"I didn't grow up in a strict house," explained Amy, who is the daughter of Jim Bob's sister, Deanna Jordan.
"Mine was more like, I had rock music, I wore swimsuits, kissed boys, and kind of lived life.
"But it had to be taken aback whenever I went to my cousins' house.
"I would try not to wear something that showed my shoulders, I wouldn't show my knees."
Amy added that she tried to "respect their rules," even though she said she "didn't understand them at all."
The Duggar family shot to fame in the mid-2000s on the hit TLC reality TV show, 19 Kids and Counting.
The show followed Jim Bob Duggar and his wife Michelle as they raised their 19 children under incredibly strict rules that preached the importance of modesty and ultra-conservative beliefs.
Among the various rules Jim Bob and Michelle enforced was a ban on all dancing and modern music.
According to the Duggar mantra, modern music is too sexual and impure, and dancing could fuel sexual desires.
Additionally, all women had to dress modestly, covering their shoulders, chests, and legs - even at the beach.
The Duggar girls were expected to wear modesty swimwear that covered their bodies almost entirely.
The ill-fitting garb covered them from their necks right down to below their knees.
They were also not allowed to hold hands with their partners until they were engaged and were required to save their very first kiss for the altar.
Jim Bob even read all of his daughters' text messages when they were growing up, replying to any messages himself that he disapproved of.
'THAT'S CRAZY'
While Amy says she could never imagine growing up in such a strict and suffocating environment, she tried as best she could to "respect" the lifestyle Jim Bob was imposing.
"I did try to respect it to a point," she said.
"I wasn't going to be like, 'this is me and I'm wearing all black...grrr!'" added Amy, imitating a ghoul.
"I wasn't going to show them my kind of style and all that, so it was a really weird balance."
While some of Amy's cousins have since rebelled from Jim Bob's rule, she estimates that at least half of them are still following her uncle's laws to a tee.
She said: "It's so ingrained in their minds from when they're very young that they follow the rules, that they follow them and will respect them.
"[They're told] 'you will love your father and mother and you will respect them and don't ask questions. That's your authority' - and that's just how it is.
"Even for me, I didn't ask any questions for the longest time. I didn't understand it, but I didn't want to ruffle those feathers.
"But it is what it is at this point. I'm in my 30's now and I just don't care anymore."
Once again, Dillon was less PC in his opinions of the Duggar way of life.
Read More on The US Sun
Read More on The US Sun
"[Imitating Jim Bob and Michelle] 'You don’t get a mind. Do what I say.'
"That’s crazy!" he said. "That's crazy ... I'm just calling it how it is."
