Conservatives impose truth rather than lose one soul to heresy?

[Elwar]

Ok, I like the quote from Lew Rockwell's column that says:


"The problem with American conservatism is that it hates the left more than the state, loves the past more than liberty, feels a greater attachment to nationalism than to the idea of self-determination, believes brute force is the answer to all social problems, and thinks it is better to impose truth rather than risk losing one soul to heresy. It has never understood the idea of freedom as a self-ordering principle of society. It has never seen the state as the enemy of what conservatives purport to favor. It has always looked to presidential power as the saving grace of what is right and true about America."


I agree with all of it but I don't understand the line "and thinks it is better to impose truth rather than risk losing one soul to heresy". Does anyone know what that means?

[Danke]

Ok, I like the quote from Lew Rockwell's column that says:


"The problem with American conservatism is that it hates the left more than the state, loves the past more than liberty, feels a greater attachment to nationalism than to the idea of self-determination, believes brute force is the answer to all social problems, and thinks it is better to impose truth rather than risk losing one soul to heresy. It has never understood the idea of freedom as a self-ordering principle of society. It has never seen the state as the enemy of what conservatives purport to favor. It has always looked to presidential power as the saving grace of what is right and true about America."


I agree with all of it but I don't understand the line "and thinks it is better to impose truth rather than risk losing one soul to heresy". Does anyone know what that means?

Maybe impose their version of the truth? I think "impose" might be the key there...?

[Kraig]

Maybe impose their version of the truth? I think "impose" might be the key there...?

Exactly. Public schools are a good example. Rather than pursue freedom in public schools, conservatives have long pursed teaching what they want in public schools. Stuff like that.

[Elwar]

Ok, I was thinking it might be something along those lines...

One of the definitions of impose: "to pass or palm off fraudulently or deceptively"

Kinda like how conservatives are OK with Rush Limbaugh illegally abusing drugs, requiring them to act like they've been ok with that type of drug abuse all along, and only in that situation...