I was a passionate, indeed fanatical convert to the LDS aged just 12 in 1961, in York in the north-east of England. I loved everything about the Church, devoting myself totally to all its activities and loving my fellow brothers and sisters in the faith.

Although I was intellectually advanced for my age, in every other way - certainly emotionally - I was quite immature. So when a building missionary suggested that I go alone to have personal 'drama' lessons with him I jumped at the chance, thinking I was specially chosen. Well, in a way, I was... he told me that all drama teachers know that the crucial 'scene' to sort out the wheat from the acting chaff centred on a man spanking a girl's bottom. So, in the otherwise totally empty church house, that's what we did. After the spanking scene the elder hastily removed himself. It goes without saying that he impressed on me that this was secret, as the other young people would be jealous. I was baffled and hurt that he rarely spoke to me again, although now of course I understand what was going on. I realise it could have been considerably worse, but it wasn't exactly an example of holiness. It was child abuse.

Then, when I was about 16, I met Jeff who became a good friend. A fellow convert, the opinion of the Church mattered to him, so when he began to worry about his homosexual leanings, he went to the local Mormon bishop for advice. Denounced as evil personified he fled the church building to my house where I hugged him and announced I would never visit the Church again.

I had experienced doubts about Mormon doctrine for many months, and was deeply unhappy about the marginalisation of women, so Jeff's horrific experience was the last straw for me.

I never returned. Apart from one occasion, no Mormon ever tried to put pressure on me to return to the fold and I have never looked back.

However, all my life I have been fascinated by religion and the politics and psychology of belief, which finally manifested in my career as a non-fiction author. In 1997 I co-authored THE Templar Revelation with Clive Prince, which became the major inspiration for The Da Vinci Code.

Since then I have immersed myself in further research into the origins of Christianity and the apparent human 'hard-wiring' that propels so many of us into the folds of one religion or another.

Not once have I even been tempted to take Mormonism seriously.

From Lynn Picknett