The Duggar family has been gracing our television screens and collective consciousness since 2004 when TLC aired its first special on the ultra-religious, oversized family.
Since then, we’ve seen the family grow and the children go off, get married, and even have babies of their own. Fans delighted in watching the family grow up, but since the show ended, scandals have rocked the Duggar households. Their religious extremes have always fascinated fans, but what religion are they, exactly?
Let’s take an in-depth look at the religious rules and mandates that shaped the Duggar family life.
The Duggars: A quick refresher
Let’s be honest, it’s hard to keep track of this ever-expanding family of ‘J’ names. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar married in 1984 and had their first son, Joshua, in 1988. 21 years and several babies later, Josie would be the final of the 19 children. In 2008, 17 Kids and Counting hit the airways and was re-named twice to accommodate the growing family before the show’s final cancellation in 2015. That same year, a spin-off show called Counting On aired, following some of the older children’s courtships, engagements, and marriages. After 11 seasons, Counting On went off the air in 2021.
IBLP – Institute for Basic Life Principles
The Duggars initially belonged to a Christian group known as the Independent Baptists. Also known as Independent Fundamentalist Baptist or IFB, the branch holds to extreme conservative Baptist beliefs and chooses to maintain exclusivity from the main Baptist denomination. The branch was formed in the early 20th century when some Baptist congregations felt that the denomination was becoming too modern and liberal. These groups separated from the traditional denomination and became Independent Baptists.
In the early 2000s, however, the family became very involved in a group called IBLP – Institute for Basic Life Principles founded by Bill Gothard in 1961. Many from the group, like the Duggars, often attend a “home church” so that they can maintain a select group of fellow worshippers. The children are also mainly homeschooled, as the Duggar family was. Most followers use only the original King James version of the Bible, and they take the text literally. This means that men are the head of the household and of the church, and that women must remain submissive. Women and girls are expected to keep their hair long and wear modest clothing, which Michelle Duggar interpreted for her family as the girls only wearing long skirts. This is a rule a handful of the Duggar daughters have broken, choosing to wear pants once marrying and establishing their own homes.
There are no body piercings or tattoos — even hair dye and excessive makeup can be seen as altering the body, which is a big no-no. As you can see in the early years of the Duggar family, all of the girl’s hair is long and its natural color and their faces are au natural, as in no makeup. In later years, and possibly with the addition of the production crew, you do spot some makeup on the older girls, and once they are out on their own, some highlights do make an appearance. These days, even conservative mom, Michelle, is spotted with some foundation and especially rosy blush-covered cheeks. Dare we say — even some Botox?
Although let’s get down to the question that is on everyone’s mind — why do they have so many children? Many viewers assumed the Duggars were part of what is called the Quiverfull movement, a sect of Christianity that believes the literal interpretation of the Bible when it says “a quiver full of children,” meaning they are supposed to have a full quiver of children or as many as God grants them. A quiver, by the way, is what holds arrows, in case you were wondering. The arrows represent the children, so each household should have a “full quiver.” The group preaches against birth control and believes each child is a “gift from God” that should be accepted when given. It sure sounds like the Duggar philosophy, however, the Duggars actually have denied being affiliated with this sect of the religion and address it specifically in their book A Love That Multiplies. So, IBLP, yes. Quiverfull, no.
The IBLP group, unfortunately, has come under rapid fire in the past few years and even some of the Duggar children themselves have spoken out about their experience with it. It sits as one of the main focuses of the latest Duggar documentary, Shiny Happy People. The leader of IBLP, Gothard, had to step down in 2014 due to allegations of sexual harassment, which was just the latest in a long line of allegations against the group. Lawsuits piled on in 2015 and 2016 for “enabling and covering up” sexual abuse and harassment. This was also around the time the Duggars’ oldest son, Joshua Duggar, had sexual abuse allegations of his own. It did not help the group’s image, especially as it was revealed Josh attended an IBLP recovery program after the abuse of his sisters was discovered by his parents. By 2018, the number of plaintiffs in the lawsuit was up to 18 and counting (no pun intended). While some members of the Duggar clan have very publicly jumped ship from the religion, others still stay active and involved.
The Duggars’ dating practices
One of the most fascinating aspects of the Independent Baptist and IBLP religion is its courtship rituals. Dating, as most people know it, is strictly prohibited. What’s the difference? Dating is for getting to know someone without necessarily having the end result be marriage. In the Duggar family, courtship is a relationship that is entered into with the intention of marriage, and each Duggar daughter’s courtship must be approved by Jim Bob.
“Courtship is really waiting for the one God has for you and praying through the whole process,” said Jim Bob in an interview.
“It’s really examining the person and considering, ‘Would this be the guy I want to be the father of my kids?’” adds Michelle.
While in courtship, couples can’t be alone together or even have an unsupervised conversation. Each time the couple is together, there is a chaperone: Jim Bob, Michelle, or a Duggar sibling over the age of 10. Jim Bob and Michelle also monitor phone calls and text messages.
Physical contact is highly restricted and is part of an initial outline of courtship expectations created by the couple and approved by Jim Bob at the beginning of the courtship. Once a couple is engaged to be married, they can hold hands and give each other side hugs, as long as they are brief. The first kiss is saved for the wedding day. Sex, obviously, is off the table until the couple is married.
So… does the courtship ritual work? Currently, 11 of the Duggar children are married, and there have been almost no divorces or separations yet. With one glaring exception.
Duggar family scandals
Despite the strict religious upbringing, there have been plenty of times the Duggar family has appeared in the news for something less than wholesome. Rumors have swirled for years about family rifts, Jim Bob’s control issues with adult children, and unethical financial practices. The biggest hit for the family and their religious morality came when the oldest son Josh Duggar was convicted on charges of receiving and possessing child pornography, for which he was sentenced to 12 years in prison. This conviction was the final chapter in a long story of legal troubles for Josh. In 2015, news broke that he had molested girls when he was younger, something his family had chosen to handle themselves. Later that year, Josh also admitted to a pornography addiction.
He also got caught up in the Ashley Madison scandal of 2015. Ashley Madison is a dating site that is a platform for married individuals to find partners — other than their spouse. Yes, it is an online infidelity platform. Yikes. In a huge scandal and security breach, the inner information of the website was made public. Millions of users’ dirty laundry were now being aired in a very public forum, and one among them was none other than Joshua Duggar. The site revealed his multiple affairs and attempts at affairs, and some women even stepped forward saying they had had relationships with Josh. All of his private conversations suddenly became public knowledge. It was very cringe.
“I have been the biggest hypocrite ever. While espousing faith and family values, I have secretly over the last several years been viewing pornography on the internet and this became a secret addiction and I became unfaithful to my wife,” Josh said in a statement. While there were some rumors of separation or an impending divorce, they never materialized. Josh and Anna Duggar are still somehow together. As previously mentioned, the IBLP community is not big on divorces, so that could be a — or possibly the — contributing factor to Anna Duggar’s staying with Josh despite his admitted sexual proclivities, including child pornography. Pretty extreme.
Shiny Happy People — The Duggar documentary
Basically, there are a lot of layers to this family, but thankfully, there is a brand new documentary to help us peel them all back. Amazon Prime’s newest documentary, Shiny Happy People, takes a deep dive into the inner workings of the Duggar family. Shocking family secrets are revealed, and the truth behind just what the children experienced is explained. It’s a very wild ride and is certainly kicking up a lot of dust in the news and on social media.
The documentary dives into the outward appearance of the family and what was really going on behind the closed doors of their homes — and the IBLP community as a whole. The Duggars’ second oldest daughter, Jill Duggar Dillard, and her husband, Derrick, make appearances in the documentary, apparently revealing all of the family’s inner secrets. Jill has been one of the most outspoken of the children — specifically around the religion and the charges against her brother Joshua, as she was one of his reported victims. She now tells her story in this documentary that you will have to see to believe. The documentary is available on Prime Video.
Whether you love to follow the drama of the Duggars or prefer to change the channel, there’s no denying that the family and their religion are fascinating. So many children, and so many scandals all baked together into one Tater Tot Casserole of a show. While the viewing is no longer exactly as wholesome and ooey-gooey as their beloved family recipe, there is no end to the layers and intrigue. So, what could be next for the Duggars? We aren’t sure, but we are sure it will be a must-watch. You can count on it.