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A Hull man has spoken of the moment he left the Jehovah’s Witness group when he was just 14 years old.

Now 25, Jake Dyble says elders in Hull instructed his parents to shun the teenager after he made the agonising decision.

Thankfully, Jake’s mum refused and he was also able to turn to friends and family outside the religious organisation to get through.

He believes it was a crucial decision which helped shape his future.

“My mum joined the Jehovah’s Witness when I was four years old and she was very zealous at the time,” Jake said.

“I remember growing up in that world could be incredibly boring. At every meeting and convention you were just expected to sit there quietly. We were pressured to make notes and these happened three or four times a week.

“Only in recent times has an effort been made to engage children but usually the meetings are indepth analysis of scripture and how to preach to people.

“It was a surreal world and it was difficult to make friends.

“My parents tried to make it as normal as possible but it was restrictive and there were lots of rules to follow.”

Jake did go to mainstream school, attending Bricknell Primary and Kelvin Hall, but it was not always easy.

“Most of my friends were not religious and there was only one or two other Jehovah’s Witnesses but I wasn’t really friendly with them,” he said.

“I had to stay out of assembly each morning and at Christmas all the other children enjoyed the different events while I just had to sit on my own doing nothing.

(Image: Katie Pugh)

“A lot of other children noticed what was happening. Thankfully I never really got bullied but it wasn’t easy.”

As he headed into his teenage years, Jake became more and more disillusioned with life as a Jehovah’s Witness.

“When you are told you are going to live in Paradise then it is quite attractive to a young child,” he said. “But as you get older you start to realise it doesn’t add up.

“There was a group of us who just did not fit and the rest of the congregation made it clear.

“There were comments and attitudes towards our parents who were already struggling. You're only properly accepted if you are part of a prominent family or clique.

“I had a friend and we supported each other through the boredom of meetings. At 14 both of us had had enough.”

How he knew leaving was right decision

Jake realised his educational and career options could be severely hampered if he stayed in the religious organisation.

“I'm good at art but Jehovah’s Witness discourages higher education so I wasn't really geared for a career outside of the organisation,” he said.

“It is only in the last few years I've figured out what I want to do, but I finally qualified my level 3 in electrical installation and I'm enjoying life in the world.

"Jehovah's Witnesses are conditioned to think that ordinary people are from Satan's world and that the world blinds you from the truth. The elders are also incredibly sexist.

“But I've always seen it the opposite way round and I've found a lot of "worldly" people much kinder and more Christian-like than many Jehovah’s Witnesses although there are a few good people in the congregations.”

Indeed, the reaction of the elders to Jake’s desire to leave reinforced the belief he made the right decision.

“When I left at age 14-15 they told my mother to kick me out and shun me which happens to most leavers,” he said, “which is why a lot of young people whose full family is in the religion are scared to leave.

“For some, this can cause depression, anxiety and other mental issues. I class myself lucky having a family which would never do that.

“I've recently got back in touch with my friend who wanted to be a vet but she settled for becoming a doctor. She's coming back to Hull. I get on with her partner and I've got a girlfriend so I think we'll make a good group to socialise.”

Others face 'shunning' when they leave

In the last couple of years former Jehovah’s Witnesses from Hull have spoken of the problems they have faced trying to leave the organisation.

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.

(Image: Katie Pugh)

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

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

Adrienne Van Den Tooren has previously spoken out over the practice of being "disfellowshipped" and "shunned".

Watch: harrowing first hand account of being shunned

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She previously told Hull Live: “I was disfellowshipped having not had fellowship for a year, presumably on the basis of speaking out against disfellowshipping and shunning.

“We were told that if we are disfellowshipped we will be miserable and mentally diseased. But, on the contrary, I am liberated and have a zeal for life.

“Still, the Witness community, family and friends are officially required to shun me with no acknowledgement or compassion, assuming I have done something grossly wrong.

(Image: Katie Pugh)

“I have been a Witness all my life so, despite my relief, it has been no easy thing. It has been a slow process realising what I now know.”

A spokesman for the Jehovah’s Witnesses previously explained the disfellowship and shunning process.

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."

They also said there is a way back for those who are disfellowshipped.

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.

The denomination was founded in the US towards the end of the 19th century, under the leadership of Charles Taze Russell.

There are about 6.9 million active Witnesses in 235 countries in the world, including one million in the US and 130,000 in the UK.

Members of the movement are probably best known for their door-to-door evangelical work and refusing blood transfusions.

Jake has advice for other young people who may find themselves in a similar position.

“I would recommend any young person not to stop thinking for themselves and hang on tight to their freedom of conscience and speech,” he said.

“I don't recommend rebellion but nobody can live our lives for us.”

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