Court Order Bans Mom From Taking Daughter to Church

Liberty Counsel presented oral arguments before the Maine Supreme Court on behalf of Emily Bickford who has been barred by an unconstitutional custody order from taking her 12-year-old daughter to church or religious organizations. The order also allows prohibiting the daughter from reading the Bible. Bickford, a single mother, is appealing the custody order that declared her church’s mainstream biblical teachings to be “psychologically harmful” and granted the child’s father, who objected to the teachings, the sole right to govern the girl’s religious activities.

The order gives Matthew Bradeen the sole right to decide about whether his daughter may—(1) Attend “any services, gatherings, or events associated with Calvary Chapel;” (2) What “material, literature, video, or other messaging associated with or created by Calvary Chapel” she reviews; and (3) Whether she can “associate or communicate with any member” of Calvary Chapel.

The order includes “any other church or religious organization, or exposure to the teachings of any religious philosophy or of the Bible in general.” The order then gives Bradeen “the right to make final decisions regarding [the daughter’s] participation in other churches and religious organizations.”

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.

Liberty Counsel seeks a reversal of this unlawful custody order and restoration of the mother’s First Amendment right to pass on her religious beliefs to her child.

Under the U.S. Constitution, federal law, and numerous Supreme Court precedents, unmarried parents both have the right to instill their religious beliefs into their children during their respective custodial time. In a brief to the Maine Supreme Court, Liberty Counsel stated that legal precedents protect a parent’s custodial rights even when one parent’s religious beliefs are in opposition to the other parent, or even in opposition to the American mainstream. Here, where Bickford is taking her daughter to a church that holds mainstream biblical views, the court’s total prohibition on her religious decision-making authority giving the father total veto power is a direct infringement on her right to direct the religious upbringing of her child.

Essentially, the lower court impermissibly entered the “private realm of family life” and “punished” Bickford for her biblical beliefs, wrote Liberty Counsel.

“Constitutionally, American courts are forbidden from interfering with religious freedoms or to take steps preferring one religion over another,” reads the brief.

According to the custody order, issued by Maine District Judge Jennifer Nofsinger, the father took issue with his daughter attending Calvary Chapel Church in Portland because it teaches the Bible “verse by verse, chapter by chapter,” including teaching on the Bible’s descriptions of hell, demons, and spiritual warfare. He hired California sociology professor, Dr. Janja Lalich, an “expert on cults,” to help convince Judge Nofsinger to stop his daughter attending this church. Dr. Lalich told the judge that cults usually have a charismatic, authoritarian leader who teaches about a “transcendent belief system” that offers answers, and “promises some sort of salvation.” She further testified that she had “studied” Calvary Chapel Church and found that the church’s pastor was a “charismatic” speaker, spoke “authoritatively” in his messages, and that he asserted his messages were objective truth. Because of this, Dr. Lalich perceived the church to be a “cultic” organization.” Despite not being a psychologist, Dr. Lalich testified it was “evident” that the church posed a potential for psychological harm to the girl.

PRESS RELEASES:

Maine Supreme Court To Hear Religious Freedom Case

MEDIA

Imagine being told you cannot take your own child to church! That’s exactly what happened to Emily Bickford and her 12-year-old daughter. And it’s all because of a very egregious court order. And if this ruling stands, it will set a dangerous precedent for all future child custody cases, allowing non-believers to block fit parents from raising their children according to their Christian beliefs. Emily shares more of her story on this episode. Originally premiered Jan 25, 2026 on GoodLife45.

Mat Staver and Emily Bickford join Debbie Kraulidis to discuss why a Maine District Court has banned Emily from taking her daughter to church, and how Liberty Counsel is defending her rights to do so.

ARTICLES:

Single mom battling custody order barring her from taking daughter to church

Maine Supreme Court weighs case on religious freedom, parental rights

Parents Should Be Allowed to Take Children to Church

Judge Orders Maine Mom Not to Take Her Daughter to Church or Read Her the Bible