The truth of Duggar family's church: A peek into the dark reality behind its fad culture and strict rules
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS: The Duggar family’s church was a sensational hit as the Arkansas brood as it became a famous reality TV show. It followed certain ‘insane’ strict rules enforced by the Duggar patriarch Jim Bob along with his wife, Michelle. The new documentary lifts the darker side of the functioning of the family’s church where children were not allowed to hold hands, girls were restricted from wearing trousers and other ‘courting’ rituals.
The Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) shares that what one saw during the show is just the tip of the iceberg and in fact, the family was deep and believed in sordid religious culture. The ‘Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets’ will be out on Amazon Prine in June and is ready 'expose the truth beneath the wholesome surface of reality TV's favorite mega-family'. “IBLP is a non-denominational Christian organization with a focus on affirming God’s Word and its principles which are vital to one’s daily walk with Christ,” as per its website.
'Focused more on teaching 'slut-shaming' than mathematics'
The new documentary claims “Bill forced members to live by an incredibly-strict set of rules that controlled almost every aspect of their lives - including what they wore, what they were allowed to watch on TV and what music they could listen to.” One member in the Amazon documentary alleged, “He also didn't allow his members' children to be in public school, instead, they had to be homeschooled, which left many of them isolated, lacking basic knowledge and skills, and completely sheltered from the outside world. The children were forced to follow a curriculum that Bill had created - which focused more on teaching 'slut-shaming' than 'mathematics,'” according to Daily Mail.
'Josh's confession led to crumbling of Duggar's family church'
But it all came crashing after the Duggar’s eldest son Josh confessed to having molested multiple underage women. These ladies included his own four siblings in the 2010 arrest. Soon many people started coming forward with their story traumatization. An ex-IBLP member Micah J Murray told InTouch Weekly, a few years back that Bill's teachings 'immersed him in perpetual shame, fear, and anxiety.' “Everything about IBLP is detrimental to healthy childhood development, mental well-being and a generally stable sense of self,” he claimed.
If you or anyone you know suspects child abuse, you are urged to immediately call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential and the hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.