Jinger Duggar Confesses 'Fear' Was a 'Huge Part' Of Her Childhood, Leaving Her 'Crippled With Anxiety'

TLC introduced the world to the Duggar family in 2008 with their hit series 17 Kids and Counting. Despite Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's strict religious beliefs that led them to homeschool their children and set stringent rules for modesty and courtship, they were largely portrayed as polite and loving — but different from the average American family.

In a recent interview, Jinger Vuolo (neé Duggar) revealed aspects of her upbringing were less than ideal, admitting "fear" was a "huge part" of her childhood due to the unsettling teachings of the Duggars' cult-like religious sect known as the Institute in Basic Life Principles.

IBLP is a non-denominational Christian organization that was founded in 1961 by Bill Gothard that emphasizes concepts such as abstaining from sexual activity before marriage, the importance of having a male figure leading the family and uncompromising trust and adherence to the words of the Bible. They also do not believe in dancing nor listening to certain genres of music.

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"[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,'" Jinger shared. "The fear kept me crippled with anxiety. I was terrified of the outside world."

"I thought I had to wear only skirts and dresses to please God," she added, referring to the reason behind the Duggars' firm dress code that requires all the girls in the family to avoid showing any unnecessary skin and wearing loose fitting dresses as opposed to pants or shorts. "Music with drums, places I went or the wrong friendships could all bring harm."

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Jinger confessed she was "terrified" all the time that anything she did could mean she was accidentally going against God's will, noting: "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."

"His [Gothard's] 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," Jinger continued. "There are a lot of cult-like tendencies."

However, despite making the decision to step away from the group for herself, as well as for her family — she shares 4-year-old Felicity and 2-year-old Evangeline with husband Jeremy Vuolo — she remains strong in her Christian beliefs and wants others to have the chance to grow in their faith away from IBLP.

Jinger spoke with People on her non-traditional childhood.