Simon Southerton, ex-Mormon scientist

Simon Southerton is a plant geneticist who was a faithful Mormon for years, even serving as a bishop. Eventually, he became aware of the conflict between Mormonism and science. He published a book that challenged the LDS position that Native Americans are of Israelite descent; he was allegedly excommunicated over this. Years ago, as a faithful member, I remember watching a video of Southerton discussing the issue of genetics and the Book of Mormon. At the time, I was easily placated with apologetics, but I would say it was my first small step out of Mormonism.

Here is his personal story of why he, as a scientist, still believed, and why he eventually left.

Here are some of his interactions with LDS and apologists after resigning as bishop. Apologists exist to try to respond to concerns about the church, but ironically their antagonistic us-vs.-them approach often pushes away those that might benefit the most from their efforts.

Here's a recent interview with John Dehlin.