Sadly, I have to confirm Glenn in this. I was taught exactly the opposite
in my undergraduate physics classes at carnegie Tech -- ALWAYS read the
opinions of those "on the fringe." Only by so doing will you be able to
(1) separate truth from error and (2) understand what you really think
you understand. The dictum was not, of course, to go off chasing the
phoney stuff forever -- just long enough to see their positions and their
arguments.
So I do this. No -- I don't read much of ICR's stuff anymore -- but I
still find their ACTS AND FACTS useful in understanding them. And I
consider them "on my side" in the struggle against those who have made
the fatal error of turning science into metaphysics. From time to time I
even correspond with them to explore another facet of what I consider to
be their greatest error -- the YEC position. But such correspondence is
Christian to Christian.
Meanwhile -- Mill's ON LIBERTY still seems to give the best advice in all
this. I read it over every few years to remind myself I don't know
everything!
Burgy