The conservative site Human Events Online has a list of what they are calling The Ten Most Harmful Books of the 19th and 20th Centuries. I usually do not try to get involved in leftist/rightist political web sites, but this list is insightful. Ideas do matter, for human beings act upon ideas. Beliefs are action guides. Some beliefs are more central, more crucial than others in our view of the world. AW Tozer once rightly remarked that what we believe about God will influence us more than anything else. Look for a moment at the beliefs that are derived from our understanding of God:

Why is there a universe?
What is our place in it?
What is my place in it?
Is there any meaning to human history?
What happens at death?
How can I know anything at all?
How should I live? What is right, what is wrong?

As important as our beliefs about governments, economies, etc. our belief (or lack thereof) about God is more influential. The writings of Marx, Hitler, Dewey, Mao, are what they are because of their philosohpical assumptions - especially about the existence and nature of God. See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes. Eccl 7:29 Such is the testimony of history

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