Judge's Ruling Blocks Maine Mom from Taking Her Daughter to Christmas Church Services

cbn.com ^ | December 29, 2025 | Talia Wise

[lowbridge]

A Maine judge's court order prevented a mother from taking her own daughter to Christmas church services.

Now the Maine Supreme Judicial Court is set to weigh in on whether the lower court overstepped its limits when it barred Emily Bickford from reading the Bible to her 12-year-old daughter or taking her to church for over a year. 

The state's high court heard oral arguments last month 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 Bickford. She is challenging a December 2024 custody order that prohibits her from bringing her daughter, Ava, to Calvary Chapel in Portland, Maine. 

According to Liberty Counsel, Ava's parents were never married, but Bickford maintained primary custody of Ava, while her father 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 him.

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. 

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.

[Bikkuri]

I think all of the conservatives up in the northeast need to move down south.

[j.havenfarm]

Plainly unconstitutional order. The Maine Supremes are going to knock it out. And dad has now arr aged for his daughter to hate him for the rest of her life.

[No name given]

And the libtards in the south and Midwest can go back to live in the blue states where they belong.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The judge ruled that Bickford could not take her daughter to any church unless the father approved of it.

I thought "patriarchy" was bad?

It's all so confusing.

[Dan Zachary]

And you thought you had the right to freedom of religion. Apparently not if a part-time father believes that “Bible-believing churches, for that matter, are “cults” that are “psychologically detrimental.” The muslim religion should be OK though.

[Bikkuri]

"And the libtards in the south and Midwest can go back to live in the blue states where they belong."

I'm all for it. They can freeze their bums off in with winder with their "electric" heating ;^)

[PTBAA]

We’re still fighting to save NH, the rest of New England is lost.

[NewHampshireDuo]

Portland, Maine. Place has gone to crap since I was a kid.

[Bob434]

Born and grew up in Maine- So sad to see it devolve into a liberal sewer- Pres Trump is right, “Everything liberals touch turns to $#%T$#!”

[Bikkuri]

Weird typos.. apologies..

*I’m all for it. They can freeze their bums off in the winter with their “electric” heating ;^)*

[wjcsux]

“I think all of the conservatives up in the northeast need to move down south.”

If we could sink everything east of I-95 and west of I-5 into the ocean, we would be in great shape.

[Bayard]

And mommy never married the baby daddy...

I can tell these situations are really a poor situation which looks terrible in the face of poor decisions compounding.

Kids need to be out of public school so that they don’t grow up to be babby moms and deadbeat dads.

[ohioman]

The father needs a good ole country attitude adjustment.

[AndyJackson]

You need to take everything east of the wast side of the Washington beltway. Even that’s not enough, but it’s a good start.

[Da Coyote]

Any bets that the “judge’ that forbade the daughter to go to church would eagerly OK her getting a sex change operation.

[Lurker]

Dollars to donuts the “judge” is a woman.

L

[AAABEST]

I think all of the conservatives up in the northeast need to move down south.

You think right and it's already happened in Florida.

After the SALT tax changes, COVID and various oppresive leftist happenings, legions of red voters moved to Florida and morphed it from 50/50 purple to +20% solid red. It's how we got Desantis and how Trump won. We even have open carry now and are going for eliminating property taxes.

These folks were looking to live without leftist "benefits" like getting crushed by taxes and seeing faggot males in girls' bathrooms. Some just wanted their kids to be able to go to school without teachers unions locking them down or learning about how shitty whites, males and Christians are.

A lot of FReepers fear emmigration from blue to red states thinking they'll get loads of blue imbeciles, but that has not been the case at all here in Florida.

Quite the opposite

[JZelle]

NH is really close. Do they have an income tax yet?

[Bikkuri]

"are going for eliminating property taxes"

Unless it's changed since I was in Texas last, some need to head that way too. A no tax state with high property taxes (and they wonder why many prefer to rent instead).