Inside 'Culture of Abuse' in Duggar Family's IBLP Religious 'Cult' in Resurfaced Clips — As Joseph Faces Possibility of Life Behind Bars for Allegedly Molesting Child

Shocking details of the dark inner workings of the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), a Christian religious group notably followed by Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, have resurfaced after Joseph Duggar's bombshell arrest for alleged child molestation, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

In one resurfaced scene from Prime Video's docuseries Shiny Happy People, a young woman who had formerly been a part of the IBLP implied that sexual abuse between family members was not surprising.

'Shiny Happy People' delved into the Duggar family's chosen religious group.

Emily Elizabeth Anderson, who was interviewed for the docuseries, admitted that she had been molested by her father when she was around 10 years old.

In another tragic moment, a woman with past connections to the IBLP shared that when she first heard about Josh Duggar molesting his sisters, she initially thought that seemed like a normal thing for brothers to do.

In a previous interview, Shiny Happy People producer Blye Faust also confirmed they discovered that familial abuse was a "pattern" that appeared to be "rampant" within the IBLP communities while filming the exposé.

"It is something anytime you see a very secretive, patriarchal-driven, closed society," Faust said at the time. "Unfortunately, you see these kinds of abuses being propagated."

Director and producer Olivia Crist added, "It's horrifying and unfortunately very, very, very common in this circle from what we've learned and what our survivors have told us throughout all of our research."

What Is the Institute in Basic Life Principles?

The Institute in Basic Life Principles is a Christianity-based fundamentalist church founded in 1961 by religious leader Bill Gothard.

The church's teachings are based on seven life principles – design, authority, responsibility, suffering, ownership, freedom, and success – and strongly emphasize the importance of male authority in a family.

Other prevalent beliefs include a strict view on modesty and sexual purity, both of which Duggar fans can see portrayed in the controversial family's various reality shows.

Jim Bob, 60, and Michelle, 59, were also known to have occasionally spoken at IBLP conferences around the country.

Josh Duggar is currently serving 12.5 years behind bars.

In 2015, it was revealed that Josh had molested four of his sisters when he was between 14 and 15 years old.

When Jim Bob and Michelle found out about the abuse, they did not immediately report it to the police. Instead, they decided to handle the situation privately by having him attend Christian counselling.

Years later, Josh was arrested for receiving child pornography. In December 2021, he was found guilty and was sentenced to serve more than 12 years in federal prison.

According to Faust, lack of "repercussions" and "treatment" when Josh was a teenager could have contributed to his future behavior.

"Anytime that this stuff [abuse] raises its head and then you just bury your head in the sand and pretend like it never happened and don't talk about it and don't confront it, you know, unfortunately, things probably aren't going to change," she shared. "And that's probably a large part of what happened here."