Rooted In Faith: Jinger Duggar Vuolo Ditched Her Family’s Church, But Held Onto Her Strong Christian Convictions

Mainstream media reported with triumph that Jinger Vaolo, nee Duggar was abandoning the strict religious sect to which her parents belonged and instead forging her own path.

Headlines about Vuolo’s new book and subsequent interview circuit touted that the former reality star was “free” The following are the “cult-like” Atmosphäre of her former church, “built on fear.” These journalists seemed thrilled that someone from a strict Christian home would discover that this whole thing was a ruse.

Except Vuolo didn’t say that.

Anyone who clicks on these attention-grabbing headlines or picks up a copy of the 29-year-old Arkansas native’s memoir “Becoming Free Indeed” would immediately realize she is still a Christian, and she doesn’t hate her parents. 

Vuolo had strong words of condemnation for Bill Gothard and his Institute in Basic Life Principless (IBLP), but that was only because she was raised in the same religion as Gothard. But even this bad experience wasn’t enough to sour Vuolo’s strong Christian faith.

Fans will remember the Duggars from the TV reality TV show “19 Kids and Counting.” The series followed Jim Bob Duggar (and Michelle Duggar) as they raised their brood of children, including Vuolo. Vuolo is now married and has two kids. The series ran from 2008 to 2015.

The former reality star flat out said that she didn’t blame her parents for being part of IBLP or how it affected her upbringing. “My parents loved me and sacrificed so much for me. For all of us,” She wrote in the book.

“They invested their time and energy and souls into raising me and my brothers and sisters. Their patience, kindness, and love are things I want to imitate in raising my girls. They pointed me to Jesus. So, this is not a book about them.”

Vuolo spoke to Us Weekly about some of her thoughts on writing the memoir. She claimed that she “sought to be open” with her family members because the book wasn’t meant to sour those relationships.

“I remember initially, like, when I started wearing pants, that was a huge thing. And so … I felt like it was the most loving thing to do, to share [with my family], ‘Hey, this is why I see this in the word of God differently than I used to.’ And so we talked through those things. And [it was] the same with this book,” she Submitted The publication. 

“I think this journey is continuing every day,” Vuolo explained. “There are days where fears will come back and try to grip me and I’ll just have to think on what’s true. … I think that I really now have a more balanced view of [what faith is].”

The former “Counting On” Star shared love for her parents with words of support. But she is more harsh in criticizing Gothard’s religious rules and his congregation. 

“Fear was a huge part of my childhood,” Vuolo Submitted People during a recent interview. “I thought I had to wear only skirts and dresses to please God. Music with drums, places I went or the wrong friendships could all bring harm.”

She stated that this anxiety could be extended to even benign activities like sports. Vuolo was raised believing that prayer and worship should be her only focus.

“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 spoke out about giving up on sports. 

“[Gothard’s] teachings, in a nutshell, are based on fear and superstition and leave you in a place where you feel like, ‘I don’t know what God expects of me,’” Vuolo shared his thoughts with the publication. “The fear kept me crippled with anxiety. I was terrified of the outside world.”

She also stated that IBLP was full of problems “cult-like tendencies” This eventually drove her to leave that sect. “His teachings were so harmful, and I’m seeing more of the effects of that in the lives of my friends and people who grew up in that community with me,” Vuolo said.

After allegations that Gothard had abused young women at the headquarters, Gothard was expelled from IBLP. The religious group, founded in 1961 by a former pastor aged 87, preached strict conservative values including modesty and a patriarchal family. IBLP was against modern music, television, alcohol, dating and public schools.

Although his ideas were compatible with those of more mainstream Christian conservatives some, IBLP elevated Gothard to celebrity status and made him a hero.

The Duggars have since stated They don’t agree with many of Gothard’s preaching, but they maintain that his lessons were interspersed with nuggets of truth.

“We do not agree with everything taught by Dr. Bill Gothard or IBLP, but some of the life-changing Biblical principles we learned through IBLP’s ministry have helped us deepen our personal walks with God,” they