This is a rebuttal to the letter to the editor in this week’s Ferndale Enterprise, written by Christina Chapman. It was titled “Traditional Family Values”, although I’m not sure that’s her title or the paper’s.

Her original text is presented in yellow  italics, my responses follow.

I am so sick of this town trying to be turned into Arcata or San Francisco.We are a Christian based farming town, with traditional family values.

The Eel River Valley is a farming community, there’s no denying that. However, Ferndale is residential and commercial. There are many people that live here that have nothing to do with farming. For example some people make their living selling books.

I heard a lot about traditional family values growing up in the Nixon (chased out of office for stealing and lying) and Reagan (divorced and just as corrupt as Nixon) years. I remember Newt Gingrich (divorced twice and cheated on his wives) being a big proponent of family values. Currently Trump talks a lot about them (divorced twice and cheated on all of them). The last election we saw Hershel Walker talk a lot about family values, and I don’t have enough time to write about his hypocrisy.

I happen to know many people in Ferndale who are not Christian or do not have what Christina would call traditional families and they are just as nice as some that are and do. Personally, the more someone has to tell me that they are Christian, the less I tend to believe that they actually follow what the Bible tries to teach.

That is what attracts people here.

You know, I always thought that tourists came here because the town has some really cool Victorian architecture. I know that’s why I first visited here and decided to make it my home. You know who preserved much of that architecture? Artists and gay guys.

We are not a place to turn into a freak show by those that think this ridiculous woke movement is OK and acceptable.

In my experience, people that use the term “woke” as if they were describing the worst sin imaginable tend to be racists and bigots. Heaven forbid we learn about our country’s past mistakes and learn to accept others and not judge them.

There is a reason there are so many churches in a 1-square mile town.

So why does Ferndale have a Methodist, a Catholic, two different flavors of Lutheran, an Episcopal, and a Community Church? Six different interpretations of the same religion, and they’re not minor differences either. This goes to one of the main reasons I gave up being a Christian even though I was indoctrinated as a young child. It dawned on me that if God were real, there wouldn’t be three major Abrahamic religions as well as many other religions that aren’t derived from those ancient texts at all. There’s certainly no logical explanation why there are over 3000 variations of Christianity, other than the whole thing is made up by man.

How about giving some support to the one person in town who has the guts to stand up for moral behavior and not just turn the other cheek when immoral behavior is trying to take over.

Standing up for bigotry is never the moral thing to do. But when you supported a president that makes fun of disabled people, grabs women by the pussy, was divorced twice, cheated on all his wives, was sued because he wouldn’t rent his apartments to blacks, was sued for running businesses that were scams, was impeached for conspiring with Russia to get elected, was impeached a second time for leading an armed coup attempt against our country, and then lied about the classified documents he stole, well then you certainly have a different idea of what moral behavior is.

I know the majority in this town is in agreement with Pastor Bramwell but are too scared to speak up, for fear of retaliation from the other side (“LGBTQ – Event at Old Steeple Canceled over Safety Concerns,” Jan 12).

No, you don’t know anything about the majority in this town. You might know the majority of the people in your right wing bubble support Bramwell. But as the other editorials have mentioned, this town is sick of his divisiveness and hate. I’ve seen editorials from people I know are on the conservative side of most issues, so if he’s pissing them off enough to write editorials, then there’s a fair majority of folks in Ferndale who have had enough of the pastor.

Too scared? Liberals aren’t the ones armed to the teeth with semi-automatic weapons. We’re not the party who avenges their political loses by storming the Capitol. When I see pickups with FJB bumper stickers on them, I don’t think right-wingers are all that scared about sharing their opinions.

Well guess what? Despite all the threats and bad words thrown at him, Pastor Bramwell is still standing on God’s word and values. He is standing up for you Ferndale, and your moral family values. Why not try standing with him. If you don’t, we will end up exactly like the town we desperately don’t want to be.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I’ve said it again and again that that is the only religion I need.

God’s word and values? According to who? Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Budhists, or none of the above? The only reason you would vote for the Christian values as being correct is because you were probably raised Christian and that’s what is most acceptable in Ferndale.

Bramwell is not following any Christian moral values in the church I was raised in.In my church I was taught to love everybody. There weren’t exceptions for blacks or gays, or people that needed abortions.

Ever since Trump was elected, I’ve loved Ferndale less and less because it became apparent how many right-wingers in town now feel they have permission to discriminate against and intimidate those citizens who are not white heterosexual Christians like themselves.

One thing I always admired about Ferndale was our spirit to help each other in time of need, whether it was a personal adversity, or a town-wide emergency. When earthquake and storms hit, we are one, united by a common love for our neighbors. It’s a shame that one man is dividing this town like I’ve never seen it divided before. It’s especially a shame when that one man has a job manual that literally includes, love thy neighbor.