‘Counting On’: Duggar Family Fan Details Their Experience At Austin Forsyth’s Parents’ ‘Cult’ Like Camp
A fan of Counting On’s Duggar family is opening up about her experiences at Austin Forsyth’s parents’ controversial bible camp. Reports about the camp have surfaced for years, and the insider, who claims to have visited the camp in 2015, described her experience as being very “cult” like. Here’s everything we know about the Forsyth’s strange family camp and why the fan would never go back.
Austin Forsyth’s parents have some similarities to the Duggar family
Austin’s family bears a striking resemblance to the Duggar family. Not only do they share similar religious beliefs, but they also have a history of being on reality TV. While the Duggars rose to fame on 19 Kids and Counting, the Forsyth’s are best known for their involvement in World’s Strictest Parents.
They also run a controversial religious camp called Fort Rock Christian Family Camp in the Ozark National Forest in Arkansas. Austin’s parents, Terry and Roxanne Forsyth, founded the camp way back in 1995 and modeled it after a town and fort from the 1800s.
During their appearance on World’s Strictest Parents, the couple revealed that they wanted to open the camp to help restore families. They believe that stepping back in time enables families to develop closer bonds.
“We came up with this idea of starting Fort Rock Family Camp with an idea of family restoration. My heart is, is that families can have a place nowadays to get away and step back in time, if you will, and spend time together,” Terry shared.
They also offer a slew of family activities at the camp, many of which have nothing to do with their 1800s theme. This includes kayaking, a zip line, shooting ranges, skillet tossing, ATV tours, volleyball, and water sports.
A Duggar family fan opens up about the Forsyth’s camp
The Fort Rock Family Camp was included in Terry and Roxanne’s episode of World’s Strictest Parents and was once featured on 19 Kids and Counting. But fans have never heard anything about the camp from one of its participants – until now.
According to The Hollywood Gossip, a former Duggar family fan recently shared her experiences at the Fort Rock Family Camp in great detail. The fan revealed that she was invited to attend the camp in the fall of 2015 in an effort to determine if it was fit for other members of her church.
The woman says that she was a “HUGE Duggar fan” before the visit and couldn’t wait to see Jim Bob and Michelle in person. Her husband, however, had serious doubts about their mission and took great convincing to go along.
Despite her love for the show and the Duggar family, the woman was not prepared for what she encountered as soon as they arrived at the isolated camp. Not only was the place in the middle of nowhere, but they had serious doubts about their surroundings.
“But man, as soon as we pulled up, I was freaked,” she stated. “This place is WAY out in the hills. I didn’t even think our car would make it up the driveway. I remember telling him that if we heard banjos, we were turning around quick!”
What was it like attending a service at the camp?
After settling in at the camp, the couple ventured out to attend a service. The first thing they noticed was how everyone else was dressed very conservatively, which is something the Duggar family regularly promotes on their show.
“I immediately realized I was the only one in pants… all other women wore skirts and the highly modest, neck-high shirts. I had on jeans and a T-shirt but I’m sure they were judging,” she shared.
She went on to say that the person speaking that night displayed famous pieces of art that censored the nudity. They were also given pamphlets that warned them of the evils of contemporary Christian music and dancing, which is apparently highly sexual and “defrauding.”
The source added that Jim Bob and Michelle were present for one of the services, which took place right after their son, Josh Duggar’s, molestation scandal. She says that they “were upset about it all” but appeared more concerned that the cat was out of the bag than anything else.
“It’s been awhile but I realized then that this was a cult… and I was scarily close to it,” she concluded.
The Forsyths and the Duggar family have not responded to the woman’s claims. The Forysths generally hold services at the camp twice a year, though it sounds like it is a fairly exclusive event.
