Jinger Duggar Opens Up About Family’s ‘Cult-Like’ Religious Beliefs

19 Kids and Counting star Jinger Duggar Vuolo has opened up about her family’s ‘cult-like’ religious beliefs. She is now taking a stand against the religious beliefs her reality TV parents raised her with. Read on to learn more about the Institute in Basic Life Principles and its effects on Jinger’s life.

Jinger Duggar opens up about her family’s religious beliefs

The whole 19 Kids and Counting family was brought up under the Institute in Basic Life Principles’ teachings. The devout Christian organization was originally started by Bill Gothard and among its teachings, men are considered to be superior to women. In fact, they believe that women should be subservient and should devote their lives to becoming wives and mothers.

Meanwhile, followers of the cult are not allowed to drink alcohol or dance, and women are prohibited from wearing makeup. Moreover, they are not allowed to wear high heels or anything shorter than ankle-length dresses.

In an interview with People, Jinger Duggar Vuolo is taking a stand against her parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, saying:

The teaching I grew up under was harmful, it was damaging, and there are lasting effects.

‘Cult-like tendencies’

The interview comes ahead of the release of her new book, Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear. Meanwhile, Jinger had started questioning her beliefs back in 2017, before walking away from the cult. However, she did say that she is still a Christian, adding that there are a lot of cult-like tendencies, adding:

Fear was a huge part of my childhood. I thought I had to wear only skirts and dresses to please God. Music with drums, places I went or the wrong friendships could all bring harm.

Vuolo added that Gothard’s teachings are based on fear and superstition and leave you in a place where you feel like, ‘I don’t know what God expects of me.

The fear kept me crippled with anxiety. I was terrified of the outside world.

Why is Jinger Duggar Vuolo opening up now?

While the principles of the cult she grew up under were “harmful, it was damaging and there are lasting effects,” Jinger said she is sharing her story now because it could maybe help even just one person be freed.

According to the Amazon listing for Vuolo’s latest book, it “recounts how she began to question the unhealthy ideology of her youth and learned to embrace true freedom in Christ.”

Her memoir, Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear, will be released on January 31, 2023.