When members of the Duggar family enter a romantic relationship, it's usually for keeps.
The Duggars don't date, you see -- they enter courtships.
And if you're familiar with the infamous Duggar courtship rules, you know those two things are very different.
Dating is a generally enjoyable experience through which two single people get to know each other better and decide if they're compatible enough for a relationship.
But the Duggars don't date they court, a process that Jim Bob and Michelle's kids robotically define as "dating with a purpose" every time they're asked about it.
The end goal, of course, is not just marriage, but procreation -- and both parties are aware of this from the time of their very first chaperoned interaction.
And you thought dating was stressful when you were a teen!
In the vast majority of cases, the courtship leads to marriage, and the person winds up making a whole bunch of babies with the first non-blood-related member of the opposite sex who they ever spent any time with.
But there are exceptions, such as Jana Duggar, who says she's courted several men, but has yet to ifnd Mr. Right.
The only other Duggar we know of who courted someone without marrying them a few months later is Josiah.
Yes, before his marriage to Lauren Swanson, Josiah courted Marjorie Jackson.
The relationship was serious enough that the couple announced their courtship publicly, and it was widely assumed that they would marry before the year was out.
But then something unexpected happened.
Without explaining why or even announcing their decision, Josiah and Marjorie broke up.
Fans pieced the split together themselves when they noticed that Josiah had deleted every trace of Marjorie from his Instagram page.
(Duggars are allowed to join the world of social media only after they've entered a courtship. Like we said, it's a very strange process.)
Josiah still won't provide any specifics with regard to the cause of the split, so it's safe to assume the two of them separated on bad terms.
Which is why it's so interesting that the Duggar girls keep in touch with Marjorie.
Or more accurately, two of the Duggar girls are still friends with Marjorie -- Jill and Jinger.
Insiders say Marjorie and Jinger are especially close, which makes sense, as both of them have rebelled against the norms of their community, specifically by harboring career ambitions, which is a big no-no in the Duggars world.
The two of them don't go about flaunting their friendship, but fans have been quick to pick up on signs that they're still in touch.
Earlier this week, for example, both Jinger and Jill liked the below photo of Marjorie and her friends.
This was surprising not only because she's Josiah's ex, but also because Jill and Jinger don't approve of exposed shoulders in public.
All of this has led to rumors about the Duggars disapproving of Lauren, but that doesn't seem to be the case.
It's also been suggested that Jill and Jinger have been assigned to keep an eye on Marjorie and make sure she doesn't expose any family secrets -- but that sounds a bit far-fetched.
In all likelihood, Marjorie is a normal down-to-earth girl who bonded with the women she thought would become her sisters-in-law.
And then she wisely bailed before being sucked into the Duggar clan for good!
