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It is a religious group little understood by many but now former Jehovah’s Witnesses have spoken of their devastation after feeling ignored by loved ones and friends.

Most of us only ever have dealings with members when they doorstep us and usually we quickly shut the door on them.

But now former members in Hull have opened the lid on their experiences within the group and the pain of being told to leave.

(Image: Katie Pugh)

Members say they have now been isolated from loved ones with parents and siblings not even speaking to them simply because they questioned elements of the doctrine preached by the religious group.

They fear there will now be a ‘purge’ among the 800 or so Jehovah’s Witnesses in Hull to weed out those asking questions.

Those within the group can be ‘disfellowshipped’ which is a form of ex-communication and they say they are then ‘shunned’.

(Image: Katie Pugh)

Shunning means the whole congregation, including family and friends, are told to avoid and ignore the person disfellowshipped.

“I believe there is a climate of disfellowshipping in Hull currently,” Adrienne Van Den Tooren, of west Hull, said.

“Everyone leaving Jehovah’s Witnesses now has their own harrowing story and there is talk of a purge in Hull which will leave so many people affected. Hundreds of people have already left in Hull.

“You used to be disfellowshipped for only very serious breaches, such as committing a crime, but now it seems to be simply for asking questions.”

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Those forced to leave are not to speak to Jehovah’s Witnesses because they believe those outside the religion can be of detriment to their faith.

Bill - not his real name - says he was left completely alone when he was thrown out of the organisation.

“Shunning is horrible,” he said. “People can be disfellowshipped for simply speaking to someone else who has been shunned.

“You used to only be disfellowshipped if you had done something really bad but that is not the case anymore. You are left with nothing and people will continue shunning you years later.

“I suffered trauma and it left me exhausted and depressed. Those who are disfellowshipped often have to start their lives from scratch and there is a high suicide rate among them.”

(Image: Katie Pugh)

Cheryl – not her real name - says anyone can be affected by disfellowship no matter what their age.

“We are not just talking about adults being shunned,” she said. “I know of a ten-year-old who was disfellowshipped and everyone was discouraged from speaking to the child.

“There was another Jehovah Witness in my daughter’s class and my daughter got into trouble because she tried to speak to the child who got upset because they weren’t supposed to speak to her.”

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Armageddon is just round the corner and humanity is now in the "last days". They believe only they will survive and everyone else will perish.

Jenny – not her real name – said: “Jehovah Witnesses see Armageddon as nearly here. It frightens children and prevents people from making the most of life.

“Members are not encouraged to get married or have children and going to university is frowned upon.

“Members are encouraged to take practical jobs such as window cleaning, gardening or joinery.

“My husband was very academic but was told to become a window cleaner which he was no good at. This made him very depressed.

“When I was young I never believed I was good enough to survive Armageddon and I didn’t want my family to see me die. There was a lot pressure at such a young age."

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Cheryl says the pressure of being a Jehovah’s Witnesses member can be overwhelming.

“The pressure as a Jehovah Witness left me depressed,” she said. “They said I wasn’t going out recruiting or praying enough but I needed a rest. They always made you feel as low as possible.”

John - not his real name - admits he felt psychological pressure.

“Being told you are special and everyone else will die when Armageddon comes really affected me as a child,” he said. “You end up being scared of everyone around you.

“By the very nature of the Jehovah’s Witness and how people are recruited, it attracts those who are already vulnerable and maybe victims of abuse looking for support.

“But ordinary witnesses are not bad people and I hope people are not unkind. Be firm but remember they are just being misled.”

Matt joined the organisation after suffering abuse as a child and was struggling to cope but he began to question parts of the religion’s doctrine.

“The more I asked questions the more I was told to shut up,” he said. “I was told that if I pursued this path the only answer I could get would be me being disfellowshipped."

Many now admit they believe they were part of a cult feeling they were emotionally manipulated.

Janet – not her real name – said: “When you realise what you’ve been involved in is a cult, you feel a lot of anger and disbelief, you feel stupid. It takes time to work through it.

Jehovah’s Witnesses in Hull confirmed two members had recently been disfellowshipped but denied there is any purge.

A spokesman explained the process of disfellowship and shunning.

He said: “Those who were baptized as Jehovah’s Witnesses but no longer preach to others, perhaps even drifting away from association with fellow believers, are not shunned. In fact, we reach out to them and try to rekindle their spiritual interest.

“We do not automatically disfellowship someone who commits a serious sin. If, however, a baptized Witness makes a practice of breaking the Bible’s moral code and does not repent, he or she will be shunned or disfellowshipped.

“The religious ties someone who is disfellowshipped had with their family changes, but blood ties remain. The marriage relationship and normal family affections and dealings continue.”

(Image: Katie Pugh)

The spokesman also said there is a way back from those who are disfellowshipped.

He said: “Disfellowshipped individuals may attend our religious services. If they wish, they may also receive spiritual counsel from congregation elders.

“Disfellowshipped people who reject improper conduct and demonstrate a sincere desire to live by the Bible’s standards are always welcome to become members of the congregation again.”

There is hope for those who are disfellowshipped as Bill explained.

“One thing you realise is that outside the Jehovah community there are nice people,” he said. “I have started to make new friends. I have started from scratch with nobody but now I have an open mind.

“You realise your neighbours and fellow human beings have the potential to be loving companions. You also realise no one organisation has a monopoly on death.”

A look at Jehovah's Witnesses