Jan 20, 2025
A state court judge in Maine issued one of the most outrageous opinions I have ever read. The judge obviously hates God (which she always writes in lower case “god”) and is banning a mother from taking her own daughter to church! Liberty Counsel is now on this outrageous case taking it up on appeal.
A little over a decade ago, Elizabeth* had a child out of wedlock. Her relationship with the father terminated even before the child was born. Nevertheless, Elizabeth shared custody of the child with her former boyfriend. Everything was fine, until Elizabeth gave her life to Christ.
In 2021, Elizabeth and her daughter became members of Calvary Chapel Bangor in Maine. The father objected, demanding the court prevent Elizabeth from taking the child to church. And insanely (as well as unlawfully), the judge in the case complied with a scathing rant against God and Christianity! You will not believe some of the language in this opinion.
Judges cannot ban parents from taking their own children to church. Help us win our latest fight against this anti-Christian state court opinion and DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT with our Challenge Grant.
The father complained that the church “teaches the Bible, verse by verse, chapter by chapter,” and declared this is “harmful” to the child.
The father even took issue with the fact that the child wanted to be baptized!
The father hired a California sociology professor, Janja Lalich, to help convince the court to prevent Elizabeth from taking her daughter to church.
Lalich testified that because Calvary Chapel teaches the biblical stance on God’s design for marriage and sexuality, that the church is based on “fear,” “breeding paranoia,” and “anxiety,” and is therefore a “cultic organization.”
Though not a psychologist or psychiatrist, Lalich went on to declare that Elizabeth’s daughter “will be harmed” by the messages she receives in church, and that the “fear mongering, paranoia, and anxiety taught by the church” had likely already caused “harm” to the child.
Lalich’s assertions are shocking enough, but the judge’s response is simply OUTRAGEOUS.
The judge in this case threw all religious freedom laws and legal precedence out the window to agree with the church-hating sociologist and the anti-Christian father.
In an 11-page ruling, the judge referenced “god” 20 times, each time refusing to capitalize God. In all my years of legal practice, I have never seen such a thing!
But the judge’s bias became clear without the intentional refusal to capitalize the name of God. The judge wrote that Elizabeth’s belief in the church teachings has “eclipsed her ability to make decisions that are in [the child’s] best interests.”
“The court concludes that there is a compelling state interest in protecting [the child] from immediate and substantial harm,” and therefore the court awarded Andrea's father the sole “right and responsibility to make decisions regarding [the child’s] religious upbringing.” In other words, Elizabeth can no longer take her daughter to ANY church unless her anti-Christian ex-boyfriend approves. And so far, the father has refused to approve ANY church Elizabeth has suggested.
I can personally attest that Calvary Chapel Bangor is no cult. Instead, it is a Bible-believing church that teaches the Word of God “chapter by chapter and verse by verse,” just as Elizabeth’s ex-boyfriend claims. I have personally known the church’s pastor, Ken Graves, for many years.
The Bible is not a cult book, and neither is Calvary Chapel a cult. Instead, this church is preaching the Word and saving souls throughout the Pine Tree state. This church has an amazing ministry that includes a residential rehabilitation ministry for men and women whose lives have been wrecked by drugs and alcohol.
Liberty Counsel represented this church during Maine’s unlawful COVID shutdowns. At that time, the State of Maine decreed that people could meet in groups for purposes of addiction treatment (a service Calvary offers), but if the group prayed or read the Bible together, they would be arrested and face jail time for violating the governor’s outrageous “No Church” orders.
But the father’s actions since the ruling reveals that this case is not about Calvary Chapel at all, but rather the father’s anti-Christian attitude. Since the ruling, the child’s father has refused to allow Elizabeth to take her daughter ANY church at all, and the court is enforcing his anti-Christian demands.
The law, as well as legal precedents, are crystal clear. Courts MAY NOT restrict a person’s religious freedom, nor can they prevent a parent from raising their own child with their own religious views.
This ruling is out of line, and Liberty Counsel has stepped in to this case to set the record straight.
We need your help to protect Elizabeth and her daughter from the Christian-hating forces that appear to be running rampant in Maine. As you know, our clients NEVER pay for our legal services as few could afford to defend themselves against anti-Christian government officials. Instead, our clients — like Elizabeth — rely on YOU, the faithful Liberty Counsel supporter.
A special Challenge Grant for our legal fund has been extended — which will DOUBLE the impact of every donation made today. Please, give generously so that NO COURT can ever again try to ban a woman from taking her own daughter to church.
Please be in prayer for Elizabeth and her daughter. Be in prayer, too, for the young girl’s father that he might accept the love and light of our Lord Jesus Christ in his own life.
Mat Staver
Founder and Chairman