Commandments for thee, exceptions for Kathy Love

by Helen Sabin, Corvallis

Some politicians like to campaign with a Bible in one hand and a campaign flyer in the other. They quote scripture, talk about Christian values, and remind voters how important faith is to them.

Then the Ten Commandments show up… and suddenly the rules get flexible.

Take the Ninth Commandment: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” In simpler language: don’t lie about people. Don’t spread rumors. Don’t smear someone’s reputation just because it helps you politically.

Yet that commandment seems to disappear whenever it becomes inconvenient. False accusations, whisper campaigns, and half-true stories suddenly become acceptable tools of the trade.

Apparently, in some political circles, the Ninth Commandment has been revised to read: “Thou shalt not bear false witness… unless it polls well.”

If you’re going to campaign as a Christian, that commandment should probably be more than a decorative suggestion.

Then there’s the First Commandment: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”

Now historically that commandment was about idols. Things like golden calves, carved statues, things people worshiped instead of truth and moral law.

But politics has its own idols. Power. Party loyalty. Political convenience.

And that brings us to Kathy Love.

When a politician loudly proclaims Christian values while helping elevate Art Wittich, a man a Montana court found deliberately violated campaign finance law. It raises an obvious question.

If the commandments matter so much, why does the standard vanish when it involves political allies?

Putting someone into office who knowingly broke election laws looks a lot less like moral leadership and a lot more like worshiping a different idol altogether: political power.

The Ten Commandments are supposed to be rules, not talking points. They weren’t written as optional guidelines to be followed only when convenient.

They certainly weren’t meant to be used as campaign decorations.

Voters are actually pretty good at spotting hypocrisy. When a candidate talks about Christian values while spreading rumors about opponents, people notice. When someone claims to stand for moral law while boosting politicians who have already broken election law, people notice that too. I have and so have others.  

Faith isn’t measured by how often someone mentions it in a speech. It’s measured by whether their behavior lines up with the values they claim to defend.

So if a politician wants to run as the valley’s resident defender of Christian virtue, there’s a simple test: Try following the commandments you quote.

Start with Number Nine—no false witness.

And maybe remember Number One as well. Because when truth takes a back seat to political loyalty, it starts to look suspiciously like a different god is sitting on the throne.

One made entirely of ambition.

And voters in the Bitterroot have seen that idol before.