Understanding the Duggar “Cult”

Guest Bios Show Transcript Why would the wife of a sexual abuser and accused pedophile like Josh Duggar stay in the marriage? And what kind of culture—or cult—produces families like the Duggars? In this episode of The Roys Report—Julie explores what some have referred to as the Duggar “cult.” The Duggars are immersed in a religious system created by Bill Gothard, a strong proponent of homeschooling and the creator of the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP). According to my guest on this podcast, Emily Elizabeth Anderson, Gothard’s IBLP is a legalistic, patriarchal cult. Emily says Gothard and his followers shame women into remaining silent about abuse. She says they also keep women like Anna Duggar living in fear, and unable to leave abusive husbands like Josh. Emily grew up in Gothard’s hyper-fundamentalist “cult.” But about six years ago, she joined 18 other women who brought sexual abuse and harassment charges against Gothard. In this podcast, Emily shares her own experience of being brainwashed and abused. She also explains the lies that kept her, and others like her, in bondage—and how she finally saw the light and broke free. We also discuss why Anna Duggar likely will never leave her husband, and why she deserves our compassion—not our condemnation.   This Weeks Guests Emily Elizabeth Anderson Emily Elizabeth Anderson is a Christian blogger and trauma recovery advocate for people who have experienced abuse within a Christian environment.  After growing up in a fundamentalist cult for 23 years and experiencing childhood domestic violence, Emily began her journey to recovery in 2015 and eventually found Jesus to be her ultimate healer. She soon turned her passion for writing into a blog and her story has since been featured on several media outlets including NPR.  She married her best friend, Joshua, in 2020 and together they are passionate about educating on the realities of trauma survival and recovery, as well as supporting survivors they meet through their online community.  To read more of Emily’s story please visit her Facebook community, Thriving Forward, or visit her website www.thrivingforwardblog.com Transcript SPEAKERS JULIE ROYS, EMILY E ANDERSON JULIE ROYS 00:05 Why would the wife of a sexual abuser and accused pedophile like Josh Duggar stay in the marriage? And what kind of culture or cult produces families like the Duggars? Welcome to The Roys Report, a podcast dedicated to reporting the truth and restoring the church. I’m Julie Roys. And today I’m going to be exploring what some of referred to as the Duggar cult. It’s a religious system created by Bill Gothard, a strong proponent of homeschooling, and the creator of the Institute in Basic Life Principles and the Advanced Training Institute. This is the religious system that the entire Duggar family is immersed in. And according to my guest today, it’s a legalistic, patriarchal cult. It shames women into remaining silent about abuse. It also keeps women like Anna Duggar living in fear and unable to leave abusive husbands like Josh Duggar. My guest today is Emily Elizabeth Anderson, someone who grew up in Bill Gothard’s organization. She’s also one of 19 women who brought sexual abuse and harassment charges against Gothard and that prompted him to resign from the Institute in Basic Life Principles. Emily also wrote a post on Facebook that went viral, explaining more about why Anna Duggar won’t ever leave Josh Duggar. It provides a shocking yet insightful window into the cultic environment in which the Duggars live. And I think you’re going to find this podcast extremely eye opening. But before I talk to Emily, I want to thank the sponsors of this podcast, Judson University and Marquardt of Barrington. I love Judson University. In fact, I was just there this past week for a prayer breakfast, and it was one of the best prayer breakfasts I’ve ever been to. It was so real and so God honoring. So, if you’re looking for a caring C