New Temples Veil Mormonism’s Decline - Simon Southerton - Mormon Stories 1462

The Temple Building Boom Hides Mormonism’s Decline

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced more temples in the first two years of the 2020s than it constructed during the entire 1980s. This surge in sacred construction projects an image of explosive global growth. Yet according to research by Simon Southerton, a geneticist and former Mormon bishop interviewed on Mormon Stories Podcast episode 1462, the granite facades serve a different purpose. They conceal a membership crisis that statistical analysis exposes rather than supports.

From DNA Research to Demographic Analysis

Southerton’s path out of Mormonism began not with sociology but with genetics. While serving as bishop in Australia during the late 1990s, he investigated scientific literature regarding Book of Mormon claims about ancient Israelite migration to the Americas. He discovered that the Smithsonian Institution and the broader scientific community found no genetic evidence linking Native Americans to Middle Eastern populations. When Southerton attempted to discuss these DNA findings with church leadership, his stake president warned that raising the issue would result in an immediate end to his disciplinary council. The church was not interested in the data.

This encounter with institutional resistance to facts led Southerton to scrutinize other church claims, specifically regarding membership statistics. The church publicly reports 16 million members worldwide but refuses to release active attendance figures. Southerton began comparing church claims against government census data from countries that track religious affiliation.

The Inflation of Global Membership