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For me it was Deepak Chopra. Deepak Chopra made me apostatize 
No, but seriously, he kinda did. I read his book, The Tree of Knowledge. It presented a new way of looking at the garden of eden story than I had previously considered. As I examined the implications of that reading I felt a weight lifted from my conscience and I felt... free. I already knew all that historical stuff that causes so many to have a crisis of faith in the church but it hadn't affected me. I didn't need the church or its leaders to be perfect in order for the message to be true. But until I read that book, my happiness and self worth as a member has always seemed dependent on my behavior. After reading that book that seemed silly. I abandoned the idea that man was fallen and imperfect and accepted the idea that man THOUGHT he was fallen and imperfect, and as a man thinketh...
Salvation from the fall was as simple as realizing the fall never happened. I came to believe that this was Christ's doctrine: not that he came to save us from something that really happened but to save us from thinking that something that didn't happen actually did. Obviously this changed the way I looked at his life, his teachings, his death, etc. And although my new interpretation of Jesus offends most people--they believing that I am short-changing him somehow--to the contrary, I have come to love and appreciate Jesus of Nazareth more than I ever did under my old premises.
In other words, for me, the issue was never Joseph Smith or Brigham, salamander this or plural wives that. It was much more fundamental than that. My issue was with the fundamentals of judeo-christianity as a whole--its interpretation of the myth of Adam and Eve--and not anything to do with the other basics of Mormonism, which I have always been perfectly fine with, despite being very much aware of everything SU and others have brought up as legitimate reasons for leaving the church. Oh sure, I agree those are perfectly legitimate reasons. They just aren't mine.
Now, I haven't really "left the church," although my wife and I have only been once since we got married. I realized that with my new belief system, there wasn't really anywhere to run to, so what was the point of running from where I was? I admit my beliefs now sound more atheist than anything, although I kinda consider myself a deist, but what do I care? When my wife finally decides she wants to go back to church (if ever), I'll be totally down. I like making friends and church is a great place to do that. I don't care that I don't agree with ANYTHING they say there; that I no longer believe ANYTHING they believe. I've just come to realize that is kinda the nature of life. We never agree with ANYBODY on everything, so it's all a matter of degrees. When it comes right down to it, love is all that matters to me, and as it says in my favorite non-canonical, pseudopigrapha, The Gospel of the Holy Twelve,
"That which appeareth true to some, seemeth not true to others. They who are in the valley see not as they who are on the hill top. But to each, it is the Truth as the one mind seeth it, and for that time, till a higher Truth shall be revealed unto the same: and to the soul which receiveth higher light, shall be given more light. Wherefore condemn not others, that ye be not condemned."
No, but seriously, he kinda did. I read his book, The Tree of Knowledge. It presented a new way of looking at the garden of eden story than I had previously considered. As I examined the implications of that reading I felt a weight lifted from my conscience and I felt... free. I already knew all that historical stuff that causes so many to have a crisis of faith in the church but it hadn't affected me. I didn't need the church or its leaders to be perfect in order for the message to be true. But until I read that book, my happiness and self worth as a member has always seemed dependent on my behavior. After reading that book that seemed silly. I abandoned the idea that man was fallen and imperfect and accepted the idea that man THOUGHT he was fallen and imperfect, and as a man thinketh...
Salvation from the fall was as simple as realizing the fall never happened. I came to believe that this was Christ's doctrine: not that he came to save us from something that really happened but to save us from thinking that something that didn't happen actually did. Obviously this changed the way I looked at his life, his teachings, his death, etc. And although my new interpretation of Jesus offends most people--they believing that I am short-changing him somehow--to the contrary, I have come to love and appreciate Jesus of Nazareth more than I ever did under my old premises.
In other words, for me, the issue was never Joseph Smith or Brigham, salamander this or plural wives that. It was much more fundamental than that. My issue was with the fundamentals of judeo-christianity as a whole--its interpretation of the myth of Adam and Eve--and not anything to do with the other basics of Mormonism, which I have always been perfectly fine with, despite being very much aware of everything SU and others have brought up as legitimate reasons for leaving the church. Oh sure, I agree those are perfectly legitimate reasons. They just aren't mine.
Now, I haven't really "left the church," although my wife and I have only been once since we got married. I realized that with my new belief system, there wasn't really anywhere to run to, so what was the point of running from where I was? I admit my beliefs now sound more atheist than anything, although I kinda consider myself a deist, but what do I care? When my wife finally decides she wants to go back to church (if ever), I'll be totally down. I like making friends and church is a great place to do that. I don't care that I don't agree with ANYTHING they say there; that I no longer believe ANYTHING they believe. I've just come to realize that is kinda the nature of life. We never agree with ANYBODY on everything, so it's all a matter of degrees. When it comes right down to it, love is all that matters to me, and as it says in my favorite non-canonical, pseudopigrapha, The Gospel of the Holy Twelve,
"That which appeareth true to some, seemeth not true to others. They who are in the valley see not as they who are on the hill top. But to each, it is the Truth as the one mind seeth it, and for that time, till a higher Truth shall be revealed unto the same: and to the soul which receiveth higher light, shall be given more light. Wherefore condemn not others, that ye be not condemned."
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