The Power of an Idea

      I had a long conversation with a good friend yesterday - the core of the conversation was about whether an idea can hurt someone.  We were discussing a book recently released ("The Idolatry of God" by Peter Rollins) and whether reading the book can do damage to someone.  I know my friend reads this blog on occasion, so hey!  

     Anyway, afterwards, I was tired (I am guessing he was too) but that didn't make me stop thinking about our conversation.  I started thinking about the resistance to ideas throughout history.  Standing at a distance, I am sure we can all name some negative events in history where resistance to ideas were a central theme (Dark Ages, Nazis, etc,), but my question is a deeper one - what is it we are actually fearing when we fear an idea?  My friend compared the reading of materials that he disagreed with to intentionally cutting oneself and understood it not as a fear, but more as wisdom.  To me,  the expression conveys that the exposure to the material is a very painful experience.  Like the "fear" of heights.  Some would say it is healthy, but I would say that the fear of heights is actually the fear of death......and that fear is not a healthy thing, though the preservation of life is.  But I think the two stand opposed to one another.  I would love to have some discussion on this - leave a comment if you have thoughts on this.  

Do we need fear?