Court bars mom from taking daughter to church, ‘treating Christianity like a threat instead of a constitutional freedom’

TUPELO, Miss. — A single mother in Maine is challenging a custody order that restricts her from taking her daughter to a church in Maine. A lower court said the denomination of the church is a “cult,” therefore granting the father the authority to determine the religious activities his daughter can attend. On November 13, Maine’s supreme court heard oral arguments for the case, with Liberty Counsel stating the lower court’s decision was a violation of her First and 14th Amendment rights.

In response to the lower court’s ruling in this case, Walker Wildmon, CEO of AFA Action, the governmental affairs affiliate of the American Family Association, is urging Christians to defend their faith, especially when courts use it as a form of discrimination.

“No state has the right to blacklist a church or punish a mom for taking her daughter to worship,” said Wildmon. “This ruling treats Christianity like a threat instead of a constitutional freedom, and it hands one parent veto power over the other’s faith. That’s not justice — it’s discrimination. Cases like this are exactly why we fight to defend religious liberty in every courtroom and statehouse in the nation.”

AFA Action is a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to advancing biblical family values in society and government by shaping public policy through education and advocacy. The mission of AFA Action is to inform and mobilize individuals to strengthen the biblical foundations of America by persuading individuals with the truth of the Gospel, challenging the lost to repent, promoting societal values that are consistent with Scripture, restraining evil and exposing the works of darkness, motivating people to take a stand on cultural and moral issues, and encouraging Christians to bear witness to the world the love of Jesus Christ. Find AFA Action Alerts here. 

For more information on the American Family Association, visit www.afa.net or follow AFA on Facebook or X.        

For more information on AFA Action, visit www.afaaction.net or follow AFA Action on Facebook or X.

To interview an AFA or AFA Action spokesperson, contact [email protected] or Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, Dawn Foglein, ext. 100, or Daniel Moyer, ext. 104.