Ex-Mormon Scholars Testify - Simon Southerton. I was a member of the LDS church for almost 30 years.
I served a mission in Melbourne (1981-83), was married in the New Zealand Temple in 1983 and served in numerous church positions including four terms as Young Men President, as a counselor in several bishoprics and branch presidencies and finally as a bishop. I resigned from the LDS Church in 1998, while serving as a bishop, after encountering molecular genetics research that convinced me that American Indians are not related to Israelites. This seriously challenged my LDS belief that the Lamanites are among the ancestors of the American Indians. To remain in the church I had to choose one of the following three options. LDS (Mormon) Stake Presidents Blog. Catholic Answers. Recovery from Mormonism - the Mormon Church.