Jill Duggar is opening up about life within the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) following her appearance in the Prime docuseries Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets.
We are just days away from Jill’s tell-all book, titled Counting The Cost, being released to the public, and she is ready to get her story out there. She feels “called” to share her journey despite knowing it will be heavy.
The Counting On star grew up in the IBLP, learning their practices and beliefs. She attended conferences and read the books.
She remained a part of the organization until she married Derick Dillard, which was her reality check.
As her release creeps up, Jill discusses some of the points she makes in her book and the IBLP.
And while she and Jinger Duggar have walked away and condemned the religious organization.
Jim Bob Duggar still follows Bill Gothard
This should not surprise anyone who has followed the Duggars over the last decade or more, but Jill Duggar confirmed her father still believes in Bill Gothard.
The Duggars remain part of the IBLP, and despite Bill Gothard being removed from the organization (he denies all of the allegations that led to his removal), Jim Bob still believes his family is indebted to the man.
While speaking to PEOPLE, Jill confirmed that during a “somewhat recent” family group text her father sent. She revealed he said, “You owe your life to Mr. Gothard.”
That sentiment isn’t something Jill or her husband, Derick Dillard, agree with at all. They both participated in the Prime docuseries about her family and the IBLP, which explained the organization’s inner workings and used people who have experienced the religious group firsthand.
Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard talk about ‘cult’ IBLP
Despite removing Bill Gothard from a position of power, the organization is still running today. Jill Duggar mentioned that even though he is no longer the face of it, that doesn’t mean things have changed.
She said, “I really do think that IBLP is a form of a cult. I think that even if you remove the person in leadership, a lot of those same values and principles are still being taught, so it doesn’t fix the problem. I think that’s what some people think like, ‘Oh, we’ve removed Bill Gothard from the situation. It makes everything better.’ No, it changes and maybe adds a nice storefront to the picture, but it doesn’t change the overall principles that are still being taught and held to.”
It was clear she chose her words carefully, but her husband didn’t mince his words.
Derick said, “I’ll call it what I think it is, a cult. A lot of verses in the Bible are taken out of context and manipulated for people who are not desiring to follow Jesus but wanting to control and manipulate and see this as an opportunity. The organization has attracted people who have that goal and see the ability to use it for that.”
In the coming days, it will be interesting to see what happens next week when Jill’s book releases. It’s expected that an announcement from the Duggar family will be made.
Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets is currently streaming on Prime Video.