L'immagine della felicità:

Like I suppose many people I only had heard of the Duggars, I knew they had lots of kids, I knew they had been on a reality show which I never saw, but I knew nothing about the core belief system that guided them. This docuseries, four parts on Amazon Prime, digs into all that. The main interview contributors are some of the Duggar children, now adults, and friends and relatives who know them well.

Jim Bob and his wife Michelle came to be Fundamental Christians on their own, but then were greatly influenced by the IBLP religion espoused by what many now call a cult leader, Bill Gothard. A basic tenet is the husband is the absolute head of the family and the wife submits to him. Plus children are home-schooled as a way to shield them from the many sins of society.

But a deeper and more sinister goal was for couples to have as many children as they could (19 for the Duggars, with at least one miscarriage) as an ultimate goal to have armies of followers to infiltrate government, and especially the Supreme Court, as a mechanism to converting, over a few generations, the country into a deeply Christian country embracing only fundamental Christian values.

The problem with a strong leader and his cult is that eventually a few, or many, will see the light and the truth and will break away. That is the source of this docuseries, former IBLP devotees who now are eager to expose the truth. Jim Bob and Michelle, as well as Gothard, all declined input into this series but now that it is out issued this statement, "The recent 'documentary' that talks about our family is sad because in it we see the media and those with ill intentions hurting people we love," and calling it "derogatory and sensationalized."

My wife and I found the series fascinating. In some ways it reminded me of a documentary a couple of years ago that revealed sexual abuse of minor girls in some cult-ish Amish communities, covered up and never reported to authorities.

Streaming on Amazom prime in four parts, roughly 3 hours total running time.

I've spent a lifetime trying to explain my life in IBLP/ATI and I was extremely nervous about how this docuseries would present it. The sense of relief and validation after watching Shiny Happy People (several times) is indescribable. I'm thrilled to be able to point people towards this now and not have to explain the abuse and horror over and over again. Thank you to each one who told their story. It's incredible to see other people who I've never met tell of such similar experiences. Trying to navigate the world around me after learning only what Bill Gothard wanted was nearly impossible, and this series pointed out so many of the deeply ingrained reasons why.

After the second episode, I was unable to watch anymore. It is so vile in how children are treated by these adults.

The first episode did not contain much to be alarming. But, the second episode delved deeper into the headlines. Its when the preview of the 3rd episode was shown, I knew I could not watch any more of this show.

Anyone who has experienced abuse should be warned that this is a very intense show.

Given that, people should watch to learn the pain that was and is inflicted on members of this religion. It is not anything a family should expose their wives or children to.

This religious cult needs to held accountable.

The documentary fairly hammers the Duggar parents and this abominable ministry movement, but I wish TLC (which has as much to do with "learning" as MTV has to do with "music" in the 21st century) got ripped as much as well. Shame on them for looking the other way with the Duggar parents and eldest son until they couldn't anymore. I get that they aren't the focus of the documentary on the whole, but they are a morally liable entity in this sordid tale.

Meanwhile, those who are saying that this is anti-Christian . . . To think that any of the whistle blowers are "anti-Christian" is laughable. They are anti-cult, anti-predators. If you are equating Christianity to IBLP, I'm worried for you.

I expected the Duggars (specifically Jim Bob and Michelle, not the children) to be absolutely evicerated during this series. While their hippocracy is indeed exposed, this is more or less a documentary exposing the IPLB and it's cult-like teachings. I think even when the show with the Duggars was at it's apex, even then people with eyes could see that something wasn't quite right with them, how they were raising their kids, or their nutty Christian belief system. This documentary doesn't really explore that much more than what we've all come to learn about them already. What this documentary does explore is the IBLP and how influential it has become to so many families, and how the Duggars made it all look so normal. If anything, it's a great watch exposing another cult, and how so often organized religion is bent and warped in a way to keep people (primarily women and children) down while a precious few thrive at their expense. Good watch overall, just don't expect to learn much more about the Duggars than you already know though.