Jinger Duggar reveals parents Jim Bob and Michelle 'embarrassed' by her book on strict religious upbringing and newfound freedom
SAN FRANSISCO, CALIFORNIA: Jinger Duggar's new book 'Becoming Free Indeed' talks about the reality star's conservative upbringing and how she stepped away from the teachings of the Institute in Basic Life Principles. The book has sparked several controversies since she exposed shocking details about her strict religious upbringing.
In the book, which was released on January 31, 2023, Jinger wrote about her decision to reject the IBLP leader Bill Gothard's teachings, which were imposed on her by her parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. Jinger explained, "[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" according to Daily Mail.
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Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are allegedly 'embarrassed'
Now, Jinger's parents are allegedly "embarrassed" by the discoveries made about their family in the book, and want to protect their younger children from its contents, in order to uphold IBLP principles, according to Radar Online. In the 'Institute in Basic Life Principles', women were instructed to submit to men and dress modestly in order to deter interest from the other sex. Inappropriate music was an issue. Also, young couples were to be accompanied on dates by chaperones and wooing was encouraged. The followers were even asked to avoid dancing, kissing, hugging, and hand-holding, while dating.
Jinger said, "The teaching I grew up under was harmful, it was damaging, and there are lasting effects. I want to share my story." Further, she claimed, "Fear was a huge part of my childhood, 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." Vuolo also added that her parents are not happy about her newfound freedom, according to People.
Jinger Duggar wasn't sure how her family would react to her book
Jinger acknowledged that she was unsure of how her family members, particularly her parents, would respond to the information revealed in her book, but she claimed that she made a concerted effort to be open with them about her emotions and how her faith has changed. "I sought from the very beginning to share with my parents what [teachings] I had changed on and why I saw this as something that was important to change on," she explained to ET. "Whether that was wearing pants, I remember that conversation that I had with them, and I wanted to say, 'I don't see this in the word of God'... I had that conversation with them early on."
"Then, when I was writing this book as well, I reached out to my family and told them that I was writing this book," Jinger continued. She further said, "I was very clear that it's not a tell-all about my family. I love my family. I'm so thankful for how they sacrificed so much for me. This story is my faith journey and how I wanted to share this story, and I feel a responsibility to it as well, because I promoted those [IBLP] teachings, so that's what I shared with my family."