Maine Court Blocks Mother From Taking Child to Church
Maine's supreme court upheld a ruling barring a mother from taking her daughter to their family church, a decision religious freedom advocates warn could set a dangerous precedent nationwide.
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled Tuesday against Emily Bickford, who has been embroiled in a custody dispute with her former partner Matthew Bradeen over their 12-year-old daughter’s attendance at Calvary Chapel Church in Westbrook, according to Breitbart News.
A district judge had previously ruled in favor of Bradeen, determining that certain teachings at the church could cause psychological harm to the child. The order grants Bradeen sole authority over whether the girl may attend Calvary Chapel Greater Portland, while requiring both parents to jointly decide on participation in any other religious activities. If the parents cannot agree on other religious involvement, final decision-making power rests with Bradeen.
The case has drawn national attention from religious liberty organizations, with the Standing for Freedom Center warning in November that the outcome could have far-reaching implications for American families and First Amendment protections.
Court Strips Mother of Religious Parenting Rights
Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel and one of Bickford’s attorneys, presented oral arguments before the Maine Supreme Judicial Court in November. He characterized the lower court’s ruling as a direct assault on constitutional freedoms, stating that the trial judge effectively prohibited Bickford from allowing her daughter to read the Bible, recite the Lord’s Prayer, or be exposed to Christian teachings.
According to Staver, the mother and daughter had found comfort and spiritual growth at the Bible-teaching congregation. The conflict escalated when the child expressed a desire to be baptized and informed her father of her decision. Bradeen subsequently sought court intervention to prevent the baptism.
Staver revealed that Bradeen enlisted a former Marxist professor to testify that Calvary Chapel operates as a cult. The trial judge accepted this characterization and, in a move Staver described as openly hostile to faith, wrote the word “god” in lowercase throughout the ruling and criticized the church for praying over the mother and child.
Former ACLU Official Issues Ruling Against Religious Practice
The district court judge who initially heard the case is a former president of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Standing for Freedom Center reported. That judge concluded the child suffered psychological harm through church attendance.
In its Tuesday opinion, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court defended the lower court’s findings, stating that harm resulted from the child being exposed to messages portraying Bradeen as an enemy who persecutes the child’s faith, and from Bickford’s alleged failure to shield her daughter from such characterizations.
The court insisted it was not declaring Christianity psychologically harmful, but rather finding that children are damaged when they hear negative messages about one parent from the other parent or associated authority figures.
Appeal to U.S. Supreme Court Planned
Liberty Counsel has announced plans to petition the United States Supreme Court to review the case, viewing it as a fundamental test of parental rights and religious freedom protections under the Constitution.
The ACLU, whose former state president ruled in the initial case, has recently made headlines for partnering with the Satanic Temple in litigation against Iowa state officials over the rejection of a holiday event at the state capitol, as Breitbart News previously reported.
Religious liberty advocates argue the Maine ruling creates a troubling framework where judges can evaluate the theological content of religious institutions and restrict parental rights based on subjective assessments of spiritual teachings.
With information from Breitbart News
