Prime Video’s new docu-series Shiny Happy People: Secrets of the Duggar Family takes a critical look at the family who starred in TLC’s hit reality series 19 Children and Counting. Over the course of four episodes, the series explores the disturbing truth behind what went on behind the scenes at the Duggar household. It also examines how the family used their television show to promote an ultra-conservative ideology linked to controversial Christian leader Bill Gothard and his Institute of Fundamentals of Life.
Have you been fascinated by Bright happy peoplelook at the dark underside of conservative Christianity? Then stream these seven documentaries that explore the relationship between faith, abuse and political power.
“The Secrets of Hillsong”
In the mid-2010s, Hillsong took the world by storm. Australia’s megachurch has mixed pop music with worship and has welcomed celebrities like Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez to its services. But all was not well under the brilliant service. In 2020, famed pastor Carl Lentz was kicked out after he confessed to having an extramarital affair. In FX’s four-episode docuseries Hillsong Secrets, Lentz speaks for the first time about his downfall. The series also explores allegations of corruption and racism within Hillsong. Additionally, it looks at church founder Brian Houston, who was accused of inappropriate behavior towards women and charged in Australia with covering up the sexual abuse of a minor.
Hillsong’s secrets is streaming on Hulu.
‘Family’
In Happy and bright people, explores how IBLP followers hoped to turn their children into a generation of activists who could infiltrate government and reshape America as a Christian nation. Netflix docuseries 2019 Family also examines the intersection of faith and religion. It sheds light on a secret group of fundamentalist Christians called The Family whose mission is to influence politics and politics in Washington, D.C.
Family is streaming on Netflix.
“Camp of Jesus”
The 2006 Oscar-nominated documentary camp of jesus focuses on Kids on Fire, a summer camp for evangelical children in North Dakota where participants speak in tongues and learn about the dangers of Satan. Kids on Fire is directed by Becky Fischer, who makes no secret that her goal is to turn young campers into warriors for Christ. The 90-minute film is a fascinating look at how institutions shape children’s thinking and beliefs.
camp of jesus is streaming on Hulu.
“Keep Yourselves Gentle: Pray and Obey”
The Duggars and other IBLP families embraced a version of Christianity that viewed fathers and husbands as the ultimate authority within a household. Polygamous Mormon sect featured in Netflix’s 2022 docuseries Be Gentle: Pray and Obey was also patriarchal. The four-episode series examines the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its leader Warren Jeffs. Jeffs controlled the cult’s many followers and arranged polygamous marriages involving girls as young as 12. He was eventually convicted of child molestation and is currently serving a life sentence.
Be Gentle: Pray and Obey is streaming on Netflix.
“God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Toppled a Dynasty”
Televangelist Jerry Falwell was a leading figure on the Christian right in the 1980s and 1990s. When he died in 2007, his son, Jerry Falwell Jr., took over as president of Liberty University, which his father had founded. But in 2020, the Falwell empire came crashing down. That’s when reports surfaced that Falwell Jr.’s wife had engaged in a years-long affair with a Miami pool attendant named Giancarlo Granda. Granda tells her salacious side of the story in God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty. Granda says Falwell Jr. was fully aware of his relationship with his wife and even watched them have sex. He also claims the couple sought to control him by bringing him into their real estate business and introducing him to powerful figures such as Donald Trump.
God Forbid: The sex scandal that toppled a dynasty is streaming on Hulu.
‘Pray Away’
pray away is a scathing look at the people who first promoted conversion therapy – the discredited idea that LGBTQ people can change their sexual orientation. Groups advocating therapy, such as Exodus International, promised that their treatments could “cure” people of what they considered a serious sin. Interviewees include Michael Bussee, a gay man who founded Exodus but later rejected the group’s teachings, and Yvette Cantu Schneider, a lesbian who joined a church, renounced her sexuality and went to work for the conservative Family Research Council. She has since spoken out about the damage conversion therapy can cause.
pray away is streaming on Netflix.
‘Procession’
There have been several documentaries about the epidemic of child abuse within the Roman Catholic Church, including The gardians (streaming on Netflix) and Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God (available on Max). But the movie of 2021 Procession takes a unique approach. It follows six men who were sexually abused as children by Catholic priests. Rather than focusing on the perpetrators and how the church covered up their crimes, director Robert Greene focuses on the victims and their healing. The men, accompanied by a drama therapist, got together and scripted scenes based on their memories of what had happened to them. This process happens powerfully on screen.
Procession is streaming on Netflix.
How to get help: If you or someone you know has been sexually abused, text HOME to the Crisis Text Line on 741741 for free, confidential assistance.
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