Jinger Duggar Vuolo Sheds Light On Her Current Relationship With Jim Bob And Michelle
The reality show "19 Kids & Counting" presented a portrait of a family whose wholesome lifestyle seemed to be the essence of living by faith. Parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar explained on their website that they hoped to "make Christ known" to viewers through their own example.
Behind the scenes, however, at least one family member was quietly struggling. In her explosive new book, daughter Jinger Duggar Vuolo reveals that she grew up feeling more "terrified" than pious. The Duggars' church, the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), set strict lifestyle rules that left Jinger anxious over everything from her clothing choices to her participation in family outings. "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," she told People.
Now married to Jeremy Vuolo and living in Los Angeles, Jinger feels emboldened not just to wear pants and approve of birth control, but also to call out her "harmful" childhood faith group through her book "Becoming Free Indeed." In a podcast interview with Allie Stuckey (seen here), Jinger blasted Bill Gothard, the former leader of the IBLP, as an extremist who preached, among other things, that cancer was God's punishment for sin.
It must have been just as hard for her parents to learn that she was writing a critique of her upbringing as it was for Jinger to do it. Has this caused a rift between them?
Jinger stays in touch with her parents
Writing a memoir that dishes unpleasant dirt on one's family can have disastrous consequences. Knowing this, fans have worried that Jinger Duggar Vuolo's relationship with Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar may be on shaky ground. The senior Duggars still belong to the IBLP, and it's assumed that they are still raising their younger children in the church. Could Jinger's accusations against her former pastor cause an irreparable rift?
Jinger addressed this question in a January 30 interview with "Good Morning America." She told reporter Juju Chang, "I still talk to my parents. I just talked to my mom." Jinger also made it clear that she doesn't blame them for the church's teachings. "I'm really grateful for my parents. They sought to give me the best life. You do what you think is best for your kid," she said. Jinger also briefly addressed her oldest brother, Josh Duggar, who is serving a 12-year prison sentence. She hasn't spoken to him since his conviction on child sexual abuse material charges, saying that she prefers to just pray for him.
As of this writing, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have not addressed their daughter's book, but Jinger is aware that they may go on the defensive. She told Chang, "I will let them share their story if they want to."
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