I remember the first "apostate" that I came across as a kid. He was a former brother in our hall. He was known for being extremely smart. He read all kinds of books that were way over the head of everyone else in the hall. He did all kinds of research in the library.
After he got DFd, it came out that he had gone "apostate". He wasn't one to go around trying to subvert anyone, he just denied that some of the doctrines were true and he tried to prove it to the elders. Well, you know how that works.
But as word spread about his new status, even as a kid, I wondered why so many people actually said things like, "he was too smart for his own good" or "he allowed all the book learning to sidetrack him from what was important" Even then, part of me wondered, 'if the guy is so smart and he did all this reading and research, maybe he knows something we don't'. I was right, but being indoctrinated in the cult even as a kid kept me from pursuing it further. I accepted all the BS that everyone said about him and eventually forgot about him.
It's weird that this thread caused me to remember someone I had forgotten 30 years ago.