Are The Duggars Part Of A Cult? Inside Their Super Strict Faith
The Duggars have been part of the reality TV landscape for over a decade. But the one thing we don’t seem to know about the extremely conservative stars of 19 Kids and Counting and the spin-off Jill & Jessa: Counting On is: exactly what religion do they practice?
The fundamentalist Christian family, headed by Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, have claimed in the past to be Independent Baptists. That is a more exclusive and conservative sect of the Baptist faith. So conservative, Reverend Jerry Falwell left the IB for the more moderate Southern Baptists. That speaks volumes as to how far to the right the Independent Baptists are.
Besides the Independent Baptists, the Duggars have also been linked to the Quiverfull movement, popularized by Reverend Bill Gothard in the late 1970s. The Duggars have used the Quiverfull teaching materials when homeschooling their 19 children. However, the Duggars deny being part of it.
“In the Quiverfull movement, your kids are blessings from God and they are also weapons in the culture war. Some people in the movement would say that part of having a lot of kids is an attempt to birth more conservative Christians in a world that doesn’t have enough of them,” USC assistant professor of religion Cavan Concannon told People in 2015.
On top of kid culture warriors, Quiverfull also has a controversial view of women. According to The Hollywood Gossip, it is a patriarchal belief system who claims women are put on Earth exclusively for breeding.
Even though the Duggars deny being part of Quiverfull, up until 2014, they considered Gothard to be a close family friend. However, after a sex scandal forced Gothard to resign in disgrace from his position at the Institute for Basic Life Principles, the Duggars cut ties with him. At least they did publicly.
Despite an upbringing filled with courting (not dating), side hugs, no premarital sex, and modest clothing, the Duggar children seem to slowly be pulling away from the religious beliefs and practices of Jim Bob and Michelle.
Jill Duggar Dillard and her husband Derrick have joined a year-long ministry program in the less-conservative Cross Church Springdale. Meanwhile, the newly married Jinger Duggar has been seen wearing pants, as pointed out by The Hollywood Gossip.
Unfortunately for Jim Bob and Michelle, there is nothing they can do about their children’s rebellious behavior. According to their own beliefs, a woman is under the control of her husband, not her father.
Tell us! What do you think of The Duggar’s super-strict religion? Let us know in the comments below.
[Featured Image by TLC]
