We’re just one day away from the release of Jinger Duggar’s memoir, and you can be sure that these are very tense times within the Duggar family.
By all accounts, Jinger’s book is not a scathing tell-all about her controversial upbringing, but an account of the spiritual journey that led her to a more modern, inclusive form of Christianity.
But the Duggars are inseparable from their faith, and insiders say Jinger’s parents are taking her criticism of their beliefs quite personally.
Whatever the case, there’s no going back now, and Jinger recently doubled-down on her stance in a revealing interview with People magazine.
Speaking about the ultra-conservative beliefs with which she was raised, Jinger revealed that she discarded some of them after conducting her own biblical research.
In particular, Jinger says she encountered no scriptural basis for her family’s rules regarding dating and courtship.
“I would look at people who are dating and think, ‘Oh, they are setting themselves up for a life of disaster because this can’t lead anywhere good,” she tells People.
“I’ve seen more people honor God — and live a very beautiful life — who have dated, and sometimes even better than courtship,” she adds.
Jinger says her parents ultra-conservative views regarding romantic relationships fueled a sort of obsession for her.
“I could be so consumed with that — with having a chaperone, with not kissing before you’re married, and not holding hands before you’re engaged,” she recalls.
“All of these things that I had set up for myself that now I kind of laugh at.”
Jinger says her realizations about the Bible’s stance on dating led her to explore its teachings on other matters, such as drinking.
“On every topic, I have had to come back and say, ‘Well, what does God’s word actually say?'” she says.
“The Bible is very clear about drinking, and it simply says that alcohol is not a sin. Jesus made wine at a wedding.”
Yes, Jinger has apparently reached the conclusion that alcohol is not an invention of the devil’s, as her parents claimed.
She didn’t reveal whether or not she consumes it herself, but presumably she’ll address the topic in greater detail in her memoir.
Jinger says she’s also rejected her parents’ beliefs regarding the use of birth control.
“I always thought that was totally wrong,” she tells People.
“I just no longer see it as that. I definitely have changed.”
Yes, clearly Jinger has engaged in some serious soul-searching and arrived at some difficult truths about her faith.
And when her book hits stores on Tuesday, she might find herself permanently on the outs with her parents.
Jinger Duggar: My Parents Lied to Me! Jesus Is Fine With Booze and Birth Control! was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip .