Spotlight ~ Losing a Lost Tribe

By Nigel Tomes

Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA & the Mormon Church, by Simon Southerton (Signature Books, 2004)

Geneticist Simon Southerton was a bishop of the Mormon “Church of the Latter Day Saints (LDS)” in Australia. In 1998 he concluded that he could no longer believe the Book of Mormon. DNA research on human origins directly contradicted Mormon claims. Southerton has since been kicked out of the LDS Church. His book, Losing a Lost Tribe was published in 2004.

The LDS Church views the Book of Mormon as Scripture, on par with the Bible. It claims to record Americas’ ancient inhabitants, alleging they are direct descendents of Israel, God’s Old Testament people. Americas’ indigenous peoples are among the “Lost Tribes of Israel,” Mormons claim.

Simon Southerton

How did this happen? The Book of Mormon alleges that Lehi was an Israelite prophet. Before Jerusalem’s destruction by Babylon (~600 BC), Lehi escaped with his family, & a few others. Prophet Lehi led them down the Arabian Peninsula, where they built a ship, & sailed across the oceans to the Americas. [None of this is supported by the Bible.]

Once in the New World, Lehi's sons Nephi & Laman founded 2 Israelite nations: the Nephites & the Lamanites. Later war broke out--the good, white Nephites versus the bad, brown Lamanites. By 500 A.D the Lamanites had annihilated the Nephites. Mormons allege the bad, brown Laminates live on as today’s Native Americans. The Book of Mormon’s introduction (1981 ed.) says, it "tells of 3 Israelite groups that sailed to the Americas …they are the principal ancestors of the American Indians.” 

Geneticist Simon Southerton asked, does the science of DNA support these Mormon claims? The answer was a resounding “No!”

Southerton concurs with many other scientists studying DNA that American Indians are descended from Asians, particularly those in Siberia. About 99.4% of living Native Americans’ DNA comes from progenitors in East Asia (Siberia). The other 0.6% comes from intermarriage with later immigrants; when ancient DNA is examined, there’s no European or African connection at all. Studies find no genetic connection between Native Americans & the Hebrew race; the Native Indian gene pool is Siberian, not Middle Eastern (Jewish). Thus, a major Mormon doctrine has been scientifically debunked. Southerton details the response of Mormon Church’s leaders and its scholars to this “inconvenient truth.”