Jinger Duggar Vuolo, a former star of TLC’s hit shows 19 Kids & Counting and Counting On, is finally opening up on her strict religious upbringing. In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the 29-year-old opens up about the fear that consumed her childhood and the lasting effects of the teachings she was raised with by her parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. “The teaching I grew up under was harmful, it was damaging, and there are lasting effects. I want to share my story,” says Vuolo.
The TLC star goes on to reveal the strict rules and regulations that were instilled in her from a young age, including the belief that she could only please God by wearing skirts and dresses and avoiding certain types of music or friendships. Even something as innocent as playing a sport like broomball with her family was a source of fear for Vuolo, as she worried that it went against God’s will.
Counting On Star, Jinger Duggar Vuolo Opens Up On Being Raised Under ‘Cult-Like’ Religious Beliefs: ‘It Was Hramful’
“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 recalls. She further speaks openly about her struggle to leave the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) movement’s restrictive and damaging doctrines. The movement, led by disgraced minister Bill Gothard until 2014, teaches that women should be subservient to their husbands and that followers should shun dancing, dating, and much of modern popular culture.
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, Jinger’s parents, have spoken at IBLP seminars in the past. “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,’ ” says Vuolo. “The fear kept me crippled with anxiety. I was terrified of the outside world.”
However, in 2017, Jinger’s perspective began to shift as she saw the harmful effects of these teachings on herself and her peers. “There are a lot of cult-like tendencies,” she says. Eventually, Jinger decided to walk away from IBLP altogether but stresses that she’s still a strong Christian, and her understanding of how to live her faith has changed. Now, she’s sharing her story in her new memoir Becoming Free Indeed, in which she details leaving behind her childhood fears and embracing a new life — one still based on faith but no longer commanded by one living man.
“That’s the beauty of this journey,” she says. “The teaching I grew up under was harmful, it was damaging, and there are lasting effects. But I know other people are struggling and people who are still stuck. I want to share my story, and maybe it will help even just one person to be freed.” Jinger’s powerful story of breaking free from restrictive teachings is sure to resonate with many and inspire them to take control of their own lives and beliefs.
