TONTITOWN, ARKANSAS: The Duggar family who gained popularity through the 2018 show '19 Kids and Counting' and its spin-off 'Counting On' are part of a "radical" religious culture where every father is turned into a cult leader. The life of the family members who talked at length about family values, purity, and faith in God became controversial after the show's viewers were shocked by the "pandemic of abuse" the family was surrounded by.
The documentary series titled 'Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets' is set to release on June 2 on Amazon Prime and will revisit the 57-year-old Duggar patriarch Jim Bob's past and his alleged role in the family's cover-up and abuse. The contentious past and the rigorous rules the family followed under the religious group called Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) will also be featured in the docudrama, according to Daily Mail.
RELATED ARTICLES
Strange rules included prohibiting Disney toys
Under the influence of IBLP started in 1961 by American Christian minister Bill Gothard, the family was forced to live an unusual life with conventional restrictions in their lifestyle. The youngsters who had to follow strict 'courting' rituals were even banned from holding hands. According to the religious group's website, "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."
From watching TV to choosing music, the disgraced minister who wanted everyone to "obey" him imposed stringent rules that controlled every aspect of the follower's lives. Bizarre principles included believing Cabbage Patch Dolls were satanic, considering fast-beat songs linked to the devil, and prohibiting anything made by Disney. Girls in their families were even banned from wearing trousers.
The Duggar family followed IBLP's 'blanket training'
Bill ensured that women were submissive to their husbands and children feared their parents. He suggested physical repercussions if they were not obedient and even mentioned the ways in which people of the other sex should interact. The IBLP founder encouraged a method known as blanket training in which parents were required to leave their babies alone on a blanket with a toy that must be placed out of their reach. If the child tried to move off the cloth to get the toy, they get hit.
The children had no exposure to the outside world as they were also forced to be homeschooled and were not allowed to attend public school. A family member revealed in the documentary that Bill created a learning curriculum that gave less focus to mathematics and more focus on 'slut shaming'.
'Cult-like' family's downfall
The explosive Amazon documentary brings is set to expose the truths behind the scandalous lives of reality TV's popular mega-family and the 'cult-like' religious ideology. The family's modest life impression among viewers was blown away in 2010 after Duggar's eldest son, Josh admitted to abusing underage women which included four of his siblings. Bob and his wife Michelle, 56, who knew about the molestation failed to report it.
After the news of the abuse broke out, several followers of the group came forward to accuse Bill of traumatizing and torturing them. After more than 30 women accused Bill of sexual harassment, he stepped down from his position in 2014.
