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A Glastonbury man who went undercover and became a Mormon as "a joke" and to "expose the religion" has criticised the faith, calling it "false" and a "cult".

On his Youtube channel, comedian Danny Hyde has released video blogs explaining his time in the religion, including one 15-minute video that includes footage of followers of the Mormon religion attempting to convert him and his baptism.

"I want to make it perfectly clear that I never set out to do this," he said.

"They came to my house and tried to convert me. When I asked them clear and simple questions about what they were telling me they answered me in riddles that had no relevance to the question that I just asked.

"In the end I got so frustrated that I sarcastically announced that I all of a sudden agreed with everything they had just said.

"Unable to read my quite obvious sarcasm they asked me if they could book a date for my baptism and I said 'yes'.

"I never expected to go through with it but with a little push from my friends and a personal thirst for an understanding of what their religion was about, I decided to see if I could get baptised without them realising I was a fraud.

"It wasn't as easy as I thought it was going to be, I felt like James Bond going undercover on a top secret mission. It took a lot of guts, a lot of acting and a constant battle with my conscience."

Danny said he understands people could think what he did was wrong, but he has defended his actions. He is now trying to warn people against joining the religion.

"I know on the surface it seems what I did was wrong, but as I realised the extent of the lies that the church feeds its victims in order to keep them obedient, I began to realise exposing them for what they are was a good thing and the guilt began to fade," he said.

"In the three months I spent as a Mormon, I learnt a lot about the church and I feel people should know what they are really about.

"It is not a harmless little religion like they want people to think it is. It is a cult, started by a convicted conman, conning people into believing complete lies, in order to amass huge financial wealth.

"I made a video on YouTube that has been very well received by ex-Mormons from all over the world, who like me, are passionate about exposing the church for what it really is.

"If I can stop one person from joining them, or make one person leave them, I feel like becoming an undercover Mormon was three months well spent."

Somerset Live approached Malcolm Adcock, spokesman for the Mormon faith in the UK - officially known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - for his response.

Mr Adcock said: "Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints strive to live their lives in accordance with the teachings of Jesus Christ. These missionaries have accepted the Saviour's invitation to share His teachings by sacrificing their time and means to invite others to learn about Jesus Christ. Mr Hyde's choice to act as he did does not diminish the importance of the gospel truths shared by missionaries who tried to help him."