God is love. Hate is the opposite of love. Anti means you’re against something.

Logically then, you could just as well say God is anti-hate. It’s not as poetic, but it has exactly the same meaning. So it really boggles my mind how Bramwell thinks an anti-hate resolution could possibly set Ferndale against God.

This website was started when Bramwell broke the law regarding his condemnation of Gov. Newsom. There’s no disputing the fact that St. Marks Church in Ferndale is being run as a tax-exempt 501(C)(3) organization. They don’t pay income taxes, and they don’t pay property taxes on the parcel where the church sits.

That sign was a clear violation of their tax-exempt status, as the IRS makes it clear that 501(C)(3) organizations are prohibited from endorsing or opposing candidates running for an elected office.

501(C)(3) organizations are also prohibited from lobbying if it becomes a substantial part of their operations. It remains to be seen whether St. Marks will continue their lobbying, but they have started themselves down a slippery slope which our constitution tries to protect.

Despite what David Kilmer believes, the First Amendment was put in place to protect citizens from churches, just as much as it was designed to protect churches from the government. Founding father Thomas Jefferson strongly felt that there should be a wall between church and state. He didn’t propose a dam, where the water could flow one way but not the other. No, he suggested a wall, to keep them completely separate.

Therefore, not only is St. Marks protected from government intrusion, but also my rights are not restricted by someone using the government to make their religious beliefs the law.

What Bramwell is lobbying against is an anti-hate resolution Ferndale is considering adopting. While he’s arguing against a piece of legislation that hasn’t even been finalized or officially introduced, all of the proposed verbiage that has been made public does nothing to prohibit Bramwell from spewing as much bigoted hate speech as he wants to. It does not curtail his First Amendment rights to free speech at all.

It simply affirms that Ferndale (like Humboldt County and other local governments that have passed anti-hate resolutions) is not in favor of people going around spewing such hate speech.

I find it incredible that a church would be arguing against an anti-hate resolution, but it’s all part of right wing’s “anti-wokeness” propaganda. Woke is being kind, accepting, and a bunch of other humanist characteristics that until recently would have been looked at as positive traits.

But ever since Trump appeared on the scene, right wingers have idolized rudeness over any consideration of other’s feelings. Just look at how Marjorie Taylor Green behaved at the State of the Union address, to absolutely no comdemation from her Republican peers.

What Bramwell is really worried about, is that he wants to continue his attacks against blacks, gays, trans, and any other group of individuals that aren’t straight white Christians with impunity. He’s now taking the standard right wing position that he is the victim, he’s the one being persecuted.

Bramwell, and others of his ilk, are not threatened by guys wearing dresses, or even two guys having sex in the privacy of their own bedroom. Those acts do him no actual physical or financial harm, yet he pretends he’s been victimized here.

However, the hate speech he delivers (and it is a message of hate) is being acted on by people who have fallen victim to the weekly brainwashing he and other pastors deliver. They take that message to heart, and go out and do actual harm to gays, to trans, to blacks, to atheists, to any group of people they have been told to fear. People are being harassed, injured, and killed because right wing Christians have lost their understanding of do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Such hatred for other humans is not natural. For example, kids do not grow up fearing other kids just because their skin color is different. Such hatred can only be learned from others, either from your parents, or by hanging around people who already have learned to hate.

I really don’t care what hateful message Bramwell spews in his church every Sunday. That’s his right as an American, even if it is in direct conflict of being a follower of Christ. That’s the great thing about America, you can define your religion to be as sane or as crazy as you want, and just by calling yourself a religion, you don’t have to pay taxes, unlike the rest of us that use city services like fire and police departments.

But when he starts trying to make his beliefs laws, either by supporting or opposing candidates, or by lobbying for or against legislation, well, that’s when I have a problem with him. A big problem.

If I wanted my rights dictated by your religion, I’d go find a country with Sharia law and move there.

Christians against anti-hate. What will they think of next?