Bearing false witness

Have you been following the political debates? Many people want to ignore politics and end up voting with little or false information. They base their vote on the candidate's reputation. As a Christian, I appreciate voter guides that clearly state where candidates stand on the issues. Every voter has a right to know how candidates have voted in the past.

When as a university student majoring in psychology, I was taught that the best indicator of future behavior is past behavior. I am thankful for the grace of God that can result in a new beginning for people who repent of their sin and make a commitment to live a godly life. However, the principle of the past being an indicator of the future is usually correct. What employer hires an employee without looking at the resume?

It matters to me who is going to make decisions that could make an impact on my freedom to conduct a worship service on church property. I want to know which candidates have abused power over the past two years. Their voting records and policies will indicate who holds biblical values and who does not. They can tell us what we want to hear to get our vote, but what have they done?

The Ten Commandments is the legal foundation for many societies. The ninth commandment is, "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." This is the month of the "October surprise". If a candidate is trailing in the polls, he or she will attempt to uncover a negative fact about his or her opponent. Sometimes this information is available earlier, but it is saved and released weeks before the voters go to the polls.

In recent years, we have seen false claims made. The response we have heard when the lie was exposed was, "He did not win, did he?" This is a clear violation of the ninth commandment. You would think there would be enough negative information about political opponents available, that there would be no need to lie. It is also dishonest to call unflattering facts that are exposed "misinformation."

Is name calling the same thing as bearing false witness? The term we are hearing now is "denier." We have climate deniers, election deniers, science deniers, etc. Shockingly, some news outlets are using various negative labels to describe candidates. Instead of debating the issues directly, the opponents and their allies are using name calling to tip the scales in favor of one candidate over another. We deserve neutral moderators during debates. Let the people decide.

In the New Testament, John the Baptist stood up to the king and ended up beheaded. Perhaps he should have stayed out of politics. Maybe we could say the same for Isaiah, Jeremiah and other Old Testament prophets. It is important to note that God raised up prophets to warn people as an act of grace.

John the Baptist challenged Herod's immorality so that he would repent, and everyone in that society would benefit from a wicked king being transformed into a righteous king.

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew people longed to have a king of their own. The prophet Samuel warned them about the nature of kings and authoritarian leadership, but they insisted. Sometimes getting what we voted for is a blessing and sometimes a curse.

We are to pray, vote and trust God's plan for this world. Even if we believe that someone won an election by lying or cheating, the Bible instructs us to pray for people who serve in positions of authority. We must set the example for others to follow. Avoid the urge to slander politicians whom we do not support. Speak out truthfully about policies and values but pray for their souls.

It is sad to see families and churches divided over politics. Have you observed how friendly most of the politicians are with each other? They have a cordial working relationship. We should not allow political or religious differences to foster hatred and name calling. It is a sin to bear false witness.