Jinger Duggar Vuolo Talks Growing Up With 'Cult-Like' Religious Beliefs, Being 'Crippled With Anxiety'

Jinger Duggar Vuolo has revealed that the religious teachings she grew up with in the Duggar household made her "terrified of the outside world" before she found freedom in 2017.

Ahead of the release of her new memoir "Becoming Free Indeed," the "Counting On" star, 29, reflected on being raised in a strict Christian family devoted to the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), a controversial organization established by disgraced minister Bill Gothard, revealing that she now realizes that the church's teachings were "harmful" and "cult-like."

"Fear was a huge part of my childhood," Jinger told People. "I thought I had to wear only skirts and dresses to please God. Music with drums, places I went or the wrong friendships could all bring harm."

The "19 Kids and Counting" alum recalled feeling so "terrified" that she was hesitant to leave her home to do non-religious activities like playing a sport called broomball.

"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," she said.

The IBLP movement teaches that women should be subservient to their husbands and that followers should avoid dancing, dating and much of modern popular culture. The Duggar household also has a "no pants" rule for the ladies.

"[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 said. "The fear kept me crippled with anxiety. I was terrified of the outside world."

Jinger's views shifted in 2017 when she realized that the teachings were "so harmful" and "there are a lot of cult-like tendencies." She said she saw the effects on the lives of her friends and the people she grew up with in the community.

She ultimately decided to walk away from the religion. Now, she is still a Christian with a different approach to living out her faith and is fully separated from IBLP.

One of the noticeable signs that Jinger had detached from her family's practices was when she started wearing pants after leaving their home.

She opened up about it in her and her husband Jeremy Vuolo's book "The Hope We Hold: Finding Peace in the Promises of God," in which she explained why she defied her family's rule.

"Growing up, I had a set of standards that I took as givens. Now, as I reexamined and compared them to scripture, my convictions were changing," Jinger explained. "Modesty isn't about what you wear. It's about the position of your heart. I wanted to follow what the Bible said, and as I searched the Scriptures for answers, I never found a passage specifically forbidding women from wearing pants."

Jinger's parents Jim Bob, 57, and Michelle Duggar, 56 have spoken at IBLP seminars. Gothard, 88, led the church until 2014, when over 30 women came forward and accused him of harassment and molestation.

Jinger's new book "Becoming Free Indeed" will hit shelves on Jan. 31.