Now that Josh Duggar is in federal prison, some of the Duggar family’s fans are doing some wishful thinking.
There are people who watched 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On and want to pretend that Josh was just a bad apple.
We all know that, in this toxic and abusive cult, that is not the case.
A survivor of the same cult, who was told to admire and emulate the Duggars while growing up, is sharing her story.
Disgraced evangelical minister Bill Gothard founded IBLP half a century ago.
Despite horrific scandals, the cult remains best known for the Duggar family’s involvement.
Gothard pushed a strict and toxic patriarchal hierarchy, with the church instructing adult men, who then instructed their wives and children.
Before resigning after dozens of women accused him of sexual misconduct, Gothard infected numerous families with these ideas.
He preached that women must respond with “reverent submission and assistance” to men.
Jim Bob and Michelle have attended IBLP events, not only promoting the cult but speaking at its conferences.
Not even Gothard’s resignation, nearly a decade ago, has deterred the Duggars.
A post praising him, noting that his ideology “changed our lives,” remains up on the Duggar website.
Given how the family rallied around Josh Duggar more than once, it is no surprise that they did not condemn Gothard.
In fact, part of the twisted cult-approved homeschool curriculum pushed by Gothard’s ATI program is essentially a lesson in silence and victim-blaming.
Women and girls are also instructed to dress “modestly,” blamed for any thoughts or desires that men may have.
In the past, we have reported extensively about how this toxic culture actively enabled Josh’s crimes.
Elizabeth Hunter is not part of the Duggar family.
However, as she told The Sun, growing up in the IBLP cult meant hearing a lot about them.
The Duggars were “revered” and “super respected,” Elizabeth shared.
“Everybody thought their word was like the gospel,” Elizabeth recalled.
She detailed: “We were told they were what we should all aspire to be like.”
In many ways, her cult upbringing was very similar to that of the Duggar daughters — no TV, limited books, and no mainstream music.
“Most of our books were about Christianity or were educational,” Elizabeth explained.
This meant that fantasy books like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings were banned, and so were simple fairytales.
It’s not just about limiting fun, but cutting off exposure to new ideas that could “distract” a child from cult teachings.
Elizabeth also explained that even playing with her toys was closely regulated, to discourage creativity.
“So you could ride your bike,” she explained, “but you couldn’t play with dolls for more than 10 percent of your time.”
Meanwhile, her father — under the teachings of Bill Gothard — believed that rock, pop, and jazz music were “demonic.”
“Most modern fun things just weren’t allowed,” Elizabeth summarized.
She also detailed: “Even Monster Energy Drinks were forbidden because they looked Satanic to my parents.”
This of course brings to mind a classic viral clip of a conspiracy theorist claiming that Monster Energy is demonic, quipping “and the devil laughs.”
Like the Duggar children, Elizabeth and her siblings were subjected to the “buddy rule.”
While elder children being forced to adapt pseudo-parent roles to their younger siblings is not unique to the cult, this system involves a twist.
Elizabeth explained that if her younger sisters failed to carry out their chores, she faced punishment along with them.
Punishment in abusive cults is never a pleasant topic.
Some were normal, like having privileges revoked.
But Elizabeth also found herself physically tied to one of her siblings for days on end.
“Looking back on it now it was absolutely ridiculous,” Elizabeth expressed.
“I don’t have children, but my sister does,” she noted. “And she said once she had them she felt just so angry and frustrated about how we were treated.”
Elizabeth explained: “Because once you have children you realized that you would never do this to them.”
Elizabeth’s father possessed total authority over the family, per the cult’s teachings, but Bill Gothard was above even that.
She recalled her mother confessing that she feared speaking to Gothard.
It was her belief that he had been granted the supernatural power to instantly perceive a person’s sins.
Elizabeth ended up meeting osme of the Duggar daughters while she was in the cult.
“I did interact with them because some of the different girls are my age,” she recalled.
“So,” Elizabeth shared, “at ATI yearly events we were in the same groups together.”
“I would go back the following year and they would recognize me and speak to me,” Elizabeth shared.
“But I could never tell their girls apart,” she confessed.
Very relatably, Elizabeth explained that this was “because they all looked the same.” We’ve all been there.
Elizabeth ended up attending one of the most conservative Christian colleges in the country.
Given the cult’s teachings, she counted herself lucky to be attending one at all.
It was only through speaking to a therapist during college that she realized that she had grown up in a cult.
She recalled: “She looked at me and she said, ‘Elizabeth, your parents are a part of a cult.'”
It was an epiphany.
Since then, Elizabeth has been able to come out as gay and enjoy a successful career. There is hope for cult survivors.
Elizabeth Hunter and the Duggar Family: Cult Survivor Describes Childhood in IBLP was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip .