Right now, more people than ever are aware of the sinister secrets of the Duggar family and IBLP cult.
Shiny Happy People is not the only examination of the toxic, abusive world that Bill Gothard built.
Jinger Duggar Vuolo’s own memoir share’s her criticisms “in a God-honoring way.”
As she delves into the sad fate of other cult members, it sounds like Jinger is describing Jana.
In Becoming Free Indeed, Jinger Duggar reflects upon how IBLP’s worldview condemned the worth of some cult members.
“Unfortunately Gothard’s principles were also problematic for those who, like Gothard, never married,” she remarks.
“Women were told by Gothard, and others, that marriage and child rearing were God’s primary purposes for them,” Jinger recalls.
“As the years passed, they remained single,” Jinger noted.
“Many of these women believed life was passing them by,” she detailed.
“They felt worthless,” Jinger described. “Like they couldn’t fulfill their God-given purpose until a man took interest.”
“While they waited for marriage,” Jinger said, “they could not start a career or even go to school.”
This was simply “because women were supposed to care for the home.” That’s the IBLP way.
“They needed to remain at home,” Jinger continued.
Remaining at home was not just an economic living situation, either.
Jinger elaborated on how remaining at home means living “under their parents authority.”
This of course continued to apply “no matter their age.”
And, because of the ideology of this cult, it also meant “submitting to their father’s leadership and control.”
Obviously, that sounds a lot like one person in particular.
Jana Duggar has never married. She is in her thirties, in a family where most of her siblings married as very young adults. In a family where some of her siblings began their “betrothals” in their teens.
Per the twisted ideology of the cult, Jana is still Jim Bob’s “property.”
Maybe Jim Bob and Michelle prevented her from fulfilling her “purpose” to keep her around for childcare. Or maybe Jana really never found the right person.
But it’s difficult to imagine that Jinger was not thinking of her sister for that passage.
Of course, Jinger’s desire to expose IBLP seems to focus upon specific priorities.
One of her major issues is that others who survived this abusive cult have left Christianity behind. She would rather see people leave it for other Christian theological frameworks, as she did.
We can see why she feels that way, as she is very happy with her faith. But this is apparently why she did not participate in Shiny Happy People.
