Jinger Duggar Vuolo speaks out about growing up in Bill Gothard's "cult"

The Duggar family, known for their reality television show '19 Kids and Counting,' has been featured in the press a lot in recent years and not for the reasons that the parents of the large brood, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, would like. Now, their daughter Jinger Duggar Vuolo has again brought the spotlight onto the family as she promotes her new book, a memoir titled 'Becoming Free Indeed.'

When Jinger announced the release of her memoir on her YouTube channel, she said, "This has been the hardest thing I've ever done. But I think it's the most important. This is a book about me and my spiritual journey, a journey of disentangling truth from lies."

Photo: @jingervuolo / Instagram

Vuolo continued, "In it, I share stories from my life — stories that nobody saw while the TV cameras were rolling: stories of fear and uncertainty but also of discovery and hope."

Photo: @duggarfam / Instagram

In a recent interview with People Magazine, Jinger speaks about what it was like growing up in a large, strict Christian family, even going so far as to describe the religious values she grew up with to be "cult-like."

In the exclusive interview with People, Jinger Duggar Vuolo told the magazine, "The teaching I grew up under was harmful, it was damaging, and there are lasting effects. I want to share my story."

The 29-year-old went on to tell the publication, "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 lived in such fear of God during her childhood she told People that she couldn't even have fun on one of the few fun outings the family enjoyed, going to play broomball. Jinger told People that she couldn't have fun because she was afraid God would be unhappy with her for partaking in such a frivolous activity.

Jinger said, "I thought I could be killed in a car accident on the way, because I didn't know if God wanted me to stay home and read my Bible instead."

Photo: @duggarfam / Instagram

Jinger's parents, Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar, adhere to the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), a religious organization founded by tarnished minister Bill Gothard in 1961.

Photo: Fox News

Gothard (pictured), now aged 88, was the head of this religious movement until 2014 when he was accused of the abuse and harassment of over thirty young women.

Photo: Institute in Basic Life Principles staff / Wikimedia

The IBLP movement has been called out as being a cult of sorts for quite some time, particularly given that it preaches that women should be totally obedient to their husbands and have as many children as possible to please God.

Photo: Wikimedia

In addition, the IBLP movement promotes the isolation of children in large families by staunchly recommending homeschooling so as to protect children from the evil influences of the outside world.

Photo: TLC

Moreover, those who follow Bill Gothard's ways also shun dancing, traditional dating, follow a strict modest dress code, and a ban on television, films, and modern culture in general.

Photo: @duggarfam / Instagram

Jinger told People, "[Gothard's] teachings in a nutshell 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."

Photo: @duggarfam / Instagram

Jinger's family is so far entrenched in the IBLP movement that her parents have spoken at seminars and promoted it publicly over the years.

While Jinger grew up living in fear of angering God over not following some of the IBLP's archaic rules, in 2017, not long after she married her husband Jeremy Vuolo, Jinger's view on things began to change.

Photo: @jingervuolo / Instagram

Undoubtedly, being married to someone outside of the IBLP movement had a considerable influence. Her husband, Jeremy, is a Baptist pastor at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and adheres to a much less strict brand of Christianity.

Fans of the Duggar family soon saw how Jinger was separating from her family's strict beliefs. The earliest sign was Jinger's shift from her parents' authoritarian rule of dresses and skirts only for girls and women to donning pants and short shorts.

Photo: @jingervuolo / Instagram

Jinger spoke to People about IBLP and Gothard, saying, "His teachings were so harmful, and I'm seeing more of the effects of that in the lives of my friends and people who grew up in that community with me. There are a lot of cult-like tendencies."

Photo: @duggarfam / Instagram

In the YouTube video promoting her book, Jinger explains that she has walked away from IBLP and why this book is so important to her. "I'm a Christian who loves Jesus and wants to follow him — I have, like those friends, rejected much of the teaching I heard for many years. My faith is still intact, but it has changed. Instead of leaving the faith entirely, I've been disentangling it."

Photo: @jingervuolo / Instagram

Vuolo then said, "I shared these stories because I want to be an encouragement to any of you who may be struggling to work through what you were taught while also loving Jesus. Really, I wrote this book for any of you who are wanting to honestly examine your beliefs without abandoning God."

Photo: @jingervuolo / Instagram

Despite everything she has gone through, Jinger told People Magazine that coming to terms with her religious beliefs and upbringing has been "the best thing I've ever done."

Jinger then said, "I just feel every day I'm just so grateful to not be so bogged down by fear and superstition and thinking that God's out to get me. It has been so freeing."

Photo: @jingervuolo / Instagram