The Supreme Judicial Court of Maine is set to weigh in on whether a lower court overstepped its bounds by barring a mother from reading the Bible to her 12-year-old daughter or from taking her to church.
There are no limits to which secular activists will go to silence Christians and mute the Gospel.
Be informed, not misled.
The state's high court heard oral arguments last week in the case of Bickford v. Bradeen — a battle between judicial authority and parental rights. Liberty Counsel, a faith-based non-profit legal group, is representing Emily Bickford. She is challenging a December 2024 custody order that prohibits her from bringing her daughter, Ava, to Calvary Chapel in Portland, Maine.
Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) reports that, "According to Liberty Counsel, Bickford and Ava's father, Matthew Bradeen, never wed after becoming pregnant with their daughter. Bickford maintained primary custody of Ava, while Bradeen had visitation rights."
After attending Calvary Chapel for three years, young Ava decided to be baptized. She shared the exciting news with her father. However, the news reportedly enraged Bradeen.
Liberty Counsel contends that the father found "an ACLU judge" and "flew in a Marxist former sociology professor from California" to testify that Calvary Chapel or any Bible-believing churches, for that matter, are "cults" that are "psychologically detrimental."
The Portland District Court sided with Ava's father and found that Bickford is "a fit parent except for the fact that she is a Christian," explained Liberty Counsel in a press statement.
According to the press release, "The judge ruled that Bickford could not take her daughter to any church unless the father approved of it. Liberty Counsel claims that the order is so broad that if enforced, it can make it so that the young girl cannot associate with any of her church friends or any member of Calvary Chapel Portland. If she meets new friends and they decide to attend the church, she allegedly would have to cut ties with them."
Also, she reportedly cannot attend any Christmas, Easter, or any other Christian event or celebration at any church, including any wedding, funeral, or even hospital visits with anyone associated with Calvary Chapel. Ava is not allowed to have contact with any religious organization or read the Bible or religious literature.
"Ava wants to attend church and be with her Sunday school friends. But this custody order has completely cut her off from Calvary and her friends, and from growing her Christian faith. This has been devastatingly heart-wrenching for both Emily and Ava. This has been going on since December 2024," wrote Mat Staver, the Founder and Chairman of the Liberty Counsel.
Via CBN:
Bickford is pushing back against the court's order, contending that the ruling violates her parental rights. Liberty Counsel is seeking a reversal of the order and restoration of Bickord's First Amendment right to pass on her religious beliefs to her child.
"It affects not only our family, but the families of all Christian children," Bickford told reporters after oral arguments.
Staver argued before the court's justices that the evidence presented before the lower court fell short of meeting the standard of harm necessary to make such a decision, News Center Maine reports.
"There is no finding of abuse or neglect," Staver said, noting that the record showed only that the child "at one time was observed to have anxiety," once had "an observance of a panic attack," left "notes around the house," and wrote in a workbook that a "demon image was scary."
"It cannot amount to immediate and substantial harm, justifying this drastic change and taking away from a fit parent the right to the religious education of their child," Staver explained.
He also argued that the order gave the father "absolute unreviewable authority to deny any kind of association or even reading the Bible or religious philosophy, attending any church or any event or associating with anyone...or any church or religious organization."
Bradeen's attorney, Michelle King, pushed back, saying the court is compelled to protect the child's best interest when harm is documented – even if it means limiting a parent's religious education rights.
"Of course, when making decisions regarding minors, courts rightly weigh issues like parental concerns and religious freedom. But the child's well-being must always be paramount, as it was here," she told Newsweek.
The Maine Supreme Court's decision could reshape how states weigh in on parental rights, religious freedom, and expert testimony in custody disputes.
"The implications of this order pose a serious threat to religious freedom," said Staver.
Meanwhile, Bickford remains hopeful that the court will rule in her favor, not just for her sake, but also for her daughter's.
"She would like to come to church. She misses her friends, and I really hope that this gets overturned," Bickford said. "It needs to be. It's unconstitutional."
The Maine justices have indicated that a ruling will be made in the coming weeks. I'll let you know the outcome of their ruling.
Takeaway
Don't think for a moment that the intent of the judge is to uphold the law. Every time God is mentioned in the court order, the judge spells it with lower case (god), which is what Bradeen also did in his complaint. The hostility toward Christianity is obvious and unconstitutional.
Constitutionally, American courts are forbidden from interfering with religious freedom or from taking steps that favor one religion over another.
In the appeal, Liberty Counsel stated the decision makes a dogmatic assertion without any proof that the Christian religion is “psychologically harmful.” In so doing, the order adopts a “heckler’s veto” over the mother’s fundamental religious rights to take her daughter to church.
The First Amendment does not allow for this blatant and overt hostility towards religious beliefs, and the order cannot stand, concluded Liberty Counsel.
Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, “Calvary Chapel is not a cult. This custody order banning Emily Bickford from taking her child to a Christian church because of its biblical teachings violates the First Amendment. The breadth of this court order is breathtaking because it even prohibits contact with the Bible, religious literature, or religious philosophy. The custody order cannot prohibit Bickford from taking her daughter to church. The implications of this order pose a serious threat to religious freedom.”
1 John 4:3 says, "Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world."
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant, Be Bold. Be Engaged. Be Prayerful.