Why are some christians afraid to read an opposing opinion?

I've run into this before, and saw it again tonight on my Facebook page.  One of my FB friends was rather incensed at my last post, which he/she interpreted as painting all christians with the same broad brush.

In his/her reply at one point, he/she reiterated what he/she's said before - that he/she refuses to read my blog, because it is such, I guess, "hateful" stuff.  I don't think he/she actually used that word but it was what he/she meant.  His/Her words this time were to the effect that he/she "can't open" my blog - as if his/her computer won't do it instead of that being his/her choice.

My reply to him/her was this:

If you've got a problem with some atheists, then talk about it. You might be surprised to find I agree with some of that, or maybe not. If you don't read what I say, you have no basis for arguing against me, do you? You are limiting your horizons by refusing to read opposing viewpoints. If you don't know what the other side is saying, you can't argue affectively.
If you are so afraid to read my posts, why is that? Are you fearful that you might find yourself seeing points that you might not be able to disagree with? If you are so averse to reading an opposing viewpoint, your faith must be weak.

Granted, there was some hyperbole and "pushiness" there, but I get impatient with folks who constantly post their own favored pictures and shared posts on FB that shout out their opinions, but refuse to defend them or to discuss their opinion - and furthermore, sometimes get angry when confronted with an opposing opinion that debunks their post.

That last is an amalgamation of several such things I've seen on FB, both on my own wall and in others' as well, so it isn't supposed to be about just one person.  But is happens, and the folks who do it are all, by their comments, christians or are defending christian viewpoints.

Now I don't have time tonight to give this what treatment it deserves, so maybe I'll address this later too.

But no matter who you are, whatever your beliefs, if you are going to broadcast them to the world, or to your online friends, you need to be prepared to defend or discuss them.  That's what social sites like Facebook are meant for.  Discussion, debate and argument.  It isn't an advertisement venue (well, not completely) meant to post billboards nobody is allowed to comment on.

If you simply post stuff and move on without comment or debate, it's tiring and obnoxious, and will never be instrumental in changing any minds.  Debate will make people think, and is always good to air opposing viewpoints with.  A place like Facebook  is, truly, the marketplace of ideas which the Founders imagined when they wrote the First Amendment!

It is an axiom of debate that a party who retreats before an obvious ending point has already lost the debate, and to refuse engagement at all is to advertise to all that your position has no merit and will not hold up to debate.  It is called losing by default, and exposes a weak argument or a lack of confidence in your position and its merits.

So, when you post something, or share something, be prepared to answer criticism.  I do it all the time, and so do others.  Don't get angry over honest criticism, den if it seems unfair.  Answer it!  Go on the offensive!  Cite facts and figures, use logic and reason to make your points.

There are a lot of good books about debate and how to avoid using logical fallacies.  I would suggest reading some of them and taking their suggestions to heart.

But in the end, if you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen!