Mother Challenged Court Order Prohibiting Her From Taking Daughter To Church

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is weighing whether a lower court overstepped constitutional limits when it barred a mother from taking her 12-year-old daughter to church services and restricted her from exposing the child to Bible teachings.

The case, Bickford v. Bradeen, has drawn attention for its unusual scope and the broader questions it raises about parental rights, judicial neutrality toward religion, and the evidentiary standards used in family-law disputes.

At the center of the case is an unusually sweeping custody order that barred a Maine mother from taking her daughter to church or exposing her to Bible teachings—restrictions the mother argues violate her constitutional rights and exceed the authority of family courts.

The state’s high court must now determine whether judges can curtail a fit parent’s religious practices based on findings of potential psychological harm. Legal experts say this question could reshape how courts across the country weigh parental rights, religious freedom, and expert testimony in custody disputes.

Emily Bickford, the mother, is appealing a December 13, 2024, order issued by the Portland District Court. That ruling granted the child’s father, Matthew Bradeen, exclusive authority over all religious decisions concerning their daughter, Ava. The two parents never married and separated before Ava was born. Bickford has primary custody; Bradeen has visitation rights.

The order followed testimony about Calvary Chapel, the evangelical Christian church in Portland that Bickford and Ava had been attending for over three years. Bradeen went to court after Ava told him she wanted to be baptized, claiming that her church attendance was causing emotional distress.

Court records say the judge relied in part on the testimony of Dr. Janja Lalich, a former sociology professor who studies religious groups and cult-like influence. Lalich reportedly described the church’s pastor as “charismatic,” and stated the messages at Calvary Chapel were presented as “objective truth,” leading her to conclude the church had “cultic” features.

The court found that images and teachings used in Calvary’s youth ministry—including depictions of fallen angels and messages about eternal suffering—had allegedly caused fear and psychological stress in the child. Based on that, the court concluded that exposure to the church posed a risk of psychological harm.