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If, like millions of other Americans, you recently tuned in to the new Amazon Prime documentary series Shiny Happy People, you might have been taken aback by the relatively brief mention of a movement known as Generation Joshua.

In case you haven’t watched the doc, or you’ve simply blacked out the part about “GenJ” for the sake of your mental health, here’s a brief refresher:

Generation Joshua is an off-shoot of the Institute in Basic Life Principles, which is the cult-like organization that provided the basis for Jim Bob Duggar’s insane belief system.

IBLP founder Bill Gothard preaches that it’s the moral obligation of all Christians to have as many children as possible so that evangelicals can eventually transform the US into a theocracy.

19 Kids and Counting
Cult leader Bill Gothard resigned from his post in disgrace following dozens of sexual assault and harassment allegations. Here he is with Jim Bob Duggar in 2017. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

GenJ — as its adherents call it — takes things a step further by training young men to enter politics and earn legal degrees with the goal of taking over American government at all levels.

Jim Bob has never spoken publicly about GenJ, but he shares the belief that evangelicals can best serve their cause by entering politics.

The Duggar patriarch was elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives in 1998, but rather than run for reelection, he launched an unsuccessful bid for the US Senate.

American culture
Jim Bob Duggar speaks at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, DC. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Undeterred by his defeat, the father of 19 remained close to the political arena.

In a display of chutzpah that might prove he’s the worthy successor to the brazenly corrupt Gothard, Jim Bob ran for the Arkansas State Senate in 2021 — despite the fact that his son was on trial on child pornography charges.

Speaking of Josh, the eldest Duggar son was keen to follow in his father’s footsteps before his political career was derailed by his long overdue downfall.

American government
Josh’s arrest marked the beginning of the end of the Duggar’s media empire. (Arkansas PD)

Josh moved his family to D.C. so that he could take a job with the ultra-conservative Family Research Council.

His time as a lobbyist was short-lived, however, as the world learned in 2015 that Josh had molested five young girls, and his parents had assisted him in avoiding prosecution.

Not surprisingly, the FRC decided this was a bad look, and Josh was fired and forced to return to Arkansas, where he would later be arrested for further sex crimes.

big josh
Josh Duggar won’t be taking any selfies for a very, very long time. (Photo Credit: Instagram)

Throughout all of these scandals, however, Jim Bob maintained his political ties.

Mike Huckabee, Rick Perry, Sarah Palin and others have spoken out in defense of the Duggars (and accepted large donations from Jim Bob).

And in 2020, Generation Joshua received a major boost when one of its young graduates was elected to the US House of Representatives.

Arkansas
Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) speaks during a press conference in front of the U.S. Capitol on November 1, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Madison Cawthorn represented North Carolina’s 11th district — until his career was derailed by allegations of sexual misconduct, and he failed to win reelection.

Is anyone else sensing a pattern here?

The stated goal of Generation Joshua is nothing less than global domination.

Fortunately, its members are constitutionally incapable of keeping it in their parents, so it looks we’re in no danger of being conquered by homeschool weirdos anytime soon.

The Duggars and Generation Joshua: How Was Jim Bob Involved In the Fundamentalist Plot to … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

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