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When Jill Duggar published her debut memoir back in September, there were hopes that the book would deal a fatal blow to her father’s carefully curated reputation.
Three months later, the results are somewhat mixed.
Jill spoke candidly about Jim Bob Duggar’s bizarre belief system in her book, and if her father’s reaction was any indication, she succeeded in royally pissing him off.
Predictably, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar issued a statement decrying Jill’s memoir and condemning their daughter as a liar.
Jill’s revelations came on the heels of an Amazon Prime documentary that exposed the abuse and corruption within the Institute in Basic Life Principles, the cult-like organization that helped shape the Duggars’ belief system.
The back-to-back Duggar takedowns have prompted many an online conversation about the family and their continued involvement with the IBLP.
Specifically, many observers are wondering if Jill’s example has helped any of her siblings to escape from the cult.
As with so many questions involving the Duggars — and cults in general — the answer is complicated.
Joy-Anna Duggar recently revealed that she’s quit the IBLP, and it seems that she’s not alone.
Unfortunately, while they may have cut ties with Jim Bob’s cult, many of the Duggars appear to have internalized the beliefs and teachings of the IBLP.
“Several siblings have stated they are no longer IBLP. They are still quiverful, fundamentalist Christians, and fully dependent on JB,” one Reddit user pointed out this week.
“The thing that sets Jill and Jinger apart is not their departure from IBLP, rather their departure from the House of Duggar.”
Other users argued that it’s easy for the Duggars to claim that they’ve walked away from the IBLP, as the organization has fallen into disrepute in recent years.
Founder Bill Gothard was recently ousted amid sexual harassment allegations, and the institute he founded has been furiously rebranding for years.
As a result, the Duggars don’t talk about the IBLP as often as they used to.
Thus, it’s possible that more of Jim Bob’s kids have ditched the organization but have chosen not to speak on the matter for fear of angering their father.
“If they leave they won’t speak out, Jill and Jinger spoke out because they are not dependent on Boob for money,” another Reddit user theorized (using the spot-on nickname that users on r/DuggarsSnark have assigned to Jim Bob).
“The others who have left (Jessa, James) will stay quiet because they rely on Boob financially or don’t want to be kicked off the Duggars’ property.”
Yes, Jim Bob’s reputation may have taken quite a hit in 2023, but he still carries a surprising amount of power — especially in his own family.
And as long as he controls the purse strings, he’ll continue to control most of his adult children.
#Encouraged #Siblings #Leave #IBLP
