Why Jill Duggar Dillard Considers Her Family’s Church a ‘Cult’: ‘It’s Fear-Driven’ (Exclusive)

Jill Duggar Dillard calls it as she sees it.

The former reality star’s family are followers of the Institute for Basic Life Principles (IBLP). The controversial, ultraconservative Christian organization, founded in 1961 by Bill Gothard, promoted women’s submission to male authority and encouraged followers to adhere to strict rules that barred much of the outside world, placing restrictions on movies, television, music, dancing, dating and more.

Gothard resigned as head of the IBLP in 2014 amid allegations of sexual harassment and abuse, which he denied, calling them “false allegations” aimed at destroying him and the IBLP.

Now that she’s no longer affiliated with IBLP, Jill tells PEOPLE why she considers the organization she was once long associated with “a form of cult.”

“I really think IBLP is a form of cult. I think even if you remove the person in leadership, many of the same values ​​and principles are still being taught, so that doesn’t solve the problem,” Jill, 32, says. “I think that’s what some people think like, ‘Oh, we got Bill Gothard out of the situation. That makes everything better.’ No, it changes and maybe adds an image of a nice retail space, but it doesn’t change the overall principles that we still teach and adhere to.”

Duggar Family Religion: All About the Controversial IBLP Church

“I think the scary part is you really have to look deeper and see how it affects people long term,” she continues. “My dad even said recently in a family group message, he said, ‘You owe your life to Mr. Gothard.’ I said, ‘No,’ I don’t think you should just look at the sugar coating or whatever. They’re trying to gloss it over and repackage it. But you have to look at the long term, how it really washed out. What those principles look like.”

For Jill, she believes the key is “to make sure she doesn’t get into something because it looks great or because you see a family that you think, ‘Oh, I want to be like that,’ and to ignore the warning signs.”

However, despite the bad, 19 Children and counting alum says, “There were a lot of things that I appreciate that my parents taught me.”

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“So many happy memories. And you prioritized being one-on-one with us kids and finding out what our interests were, doing fun things for us,” he recalls. “So those are definitely the highlights of my childhood. I think we do that with our kids, too. We try to value family time, be intentional. Don’t let the days just fly by.”

Jill tells her side of the story in a memoir she co-wrote with her husband, Derick Dillard, titled Cost calculationwhich comes out on September 12.

Jill Duggar/Scott Enlow

“I didn’t want to have to write this story,” she says. “I love my parents. I love my siblings. I struggle with the weight of it. But I feel called to do this.”

Jill continues, “I feel passionate about empowering other people to find their voice, and if they do through my story, great. I want them to feel like they’re not alone.”

The couple’s former connections with IBLP will be a big part of their debut memoir. Like Jill, Derick is also not shy about sharing his thoughts on why he compares a religious organization to a cult.

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“I’m going to call it what I think it is, a cult,” Derick, 34, tells PEOPLE. “Many verses in the Bible are taken out of context and manipulated for people who don’t want to follow Jesus, but want to control and manipulate and see it as an opportunity. The organization has attracted people who have that goal and see the ability to use it for that.”

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“It appeals to people who are vulnerable or want to solve certain problems and it takes them down a completely different path that is harmful,” he adds.

Jill, continuing, notes that it’s all “fear driven.”

“A lot of what they teach is driven by fear, but I think it’s important to make decisions that make you feel good,” she says. “As parents, we don’t want to teach them fear, which is hard to do.”

IBLP has previously spoken about these claims, which were highlighted in Prime Video Great Happy People: Secrets of the Duggar Family documentary in May, calling them “misleading and untrue.”

“IBLP is neither a church nor a religion, but a non-denominational Christian ministry that seeks to represent individuals Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and help them apply the Christian principles found in God’s Word. IBLP affirms and teaches historic Christianity,” their statement reads in part. “We know that our purpose and our efforts are designed to help people find God’s love, redemption, and the best for their lives.”

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Because of her own experience, Jill says she now feels a “passionate desire to empower others to find their voice.”

“And if they do that by finding something in my story that they can relate to, that allows them to feel like they’re not alone, that they don’t have to feel isolated, they can get some of their life back, maybe because I think isolation and control go hand in hand hand,” she explains. “If someone can isolate you, then they can have control over you and power over you.”

Jill concludes, “So when you’re able to have a little more independence, and as Christians, we want to follow what the Bible says and not just come out and say, oh my God, we’ll do whatever we want. It feels good to us, but to think about other people and take that into account, follow where the Scriptures clearly lead us, but also separate our faith and surround ourselves with good people, people who support us.”

For more on Jill Duggar Dillard and Derick Dillard, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here.

Jill and Derick’s Memoirs, Cost calculationit will be available for purchase at all sales points on Tuesday, September 12.

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Source: HIS Education