Court Rules Mother Can’t Take Her Daughter to Church

 How far we have fallen!   Today we read about a case where the mother can’t take her daughter to church because her ex husband doesn’t want their child exposed to a Bible “cult”.

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The Maine Supreme Court ruled that a mother cannot take her 13-year-old daughter to church and cannot “expose” her to any “religious philosophy or the Bible in general” without the approval of the daughter’s father. The mother, Emily Bickford, is seeking an intervention from the U.S. Supreme Court. 

The Maine Supreme Court backed a lower court ruling which concluded that Bickford, who has primary custody over her daughter, Ava, is a fit parent—except in religious instruction. 

In December 2024, the Portland District Court ruled that Ava’s father, Matthew Bradeen, would have full control over all religious attendances, including “the right to make final decisions regarding [the daughter’s] participation in other churches and religious organizations.” The court ruled that there had been “no showing of harm to [the child] associated with a belief system that is rooted in the Bible” but found issue with the Biblical teachings of eternal salvation, Heaven, hell, angels and demons as well as teaching the Bible “verse by verse, chapter by chapter.”

Though Ava and Bickford have suggested different church options to him, Bradeen has rejected all requests since December 2024. 

Under the order, Bickford has been unable to take Ava to church, any religious event or organization, or to Christmas or Easter services. Bickford is also not permitted to read the Bible or religious materials to Ava, and Ava has been barred from contacting church friends at her home church, Calvary Chapel in Portland. Bickford cannot take her to “any services, gatherings, or events associated with Calvary Chapel” and or expose her to “material, literature, video, or other messaging associated with, or created or published by, Calvary Chapel.”

Liberty Counsel, which is representing Bickford in the case, appealed the district court’s ruling. In November 2025, the case went to the Maine Supreme Court for an oral argument, and the court announced the ruling Tuesday.

Mat Staver, Liberty Counsel founder and chairman, who legally represented Bickford before the Maine Supreme Court, says the ruling is clearly unconstitutional. 

“This opinion rejects the First Amendment right of a fit parent to raise her child consistent with her Christian faith,” Staver said. “This opinion goes against other state court decisions involving custody in the context of religious free exercise rights and ignores precedent from the U.S. Supreme Court.”

The custody dispute around Ava’s religious upbringing occurred when Bradeen found out that Ava desired to be baptized. Ava, who attended Calvary Chapel Church at the time, had become a Christian in 2021. Bickford had become a Christian about 4 years earlier. Bradeen took issue with how the church taught the Scriptures and hired Dr. Janja Lalich, a sociologist recognized as an expert on cults, to testify before the court. Because the pastor spoke with authority and said the messages he spoke from Scripture was objective truth, Lalich called the church a “cultic” organization. She claimed that, because cults are branded by a charismatic leader who teaches a “transcendent belief system” that offers answers and promises “some sort of salvation,” Calvary Chapel Church was a cult. 

Staver in a press release stated that Liberty Counsel “will petition the U.S. Supreme Court to ultimately decide this case.”

https://harbingersdaily.com/mother-appeals-to-supreme-court-after-being-barred-from-taking-her-daughter-to-calvary-chapels-exposing-her-to-the-bible/

Court Rules AI Can Legally Generate Child Porn for Perverts to View

 In another blow to the foundation of our society, child porn has just been legalized.  You can ask AI to make it and save it on your computer for your daily viewing.  It’s all good and legal as long as no children were harmed in the making of it.

“Good will be called evil and evil will be called good.”  

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Perhaps sometimes it's best for judges to ignore technical loopholes and rigid legal precedent for the sake of doing the right thing?  Maybe, in extreme cases where absolute evil is involved, our system could dismiss the "rights of artists" and enforce restrictions based on the potential long term damage to society as a whole? 

Yes, the constitutional conundrums are plenty, but can't we also simply use common sense? Because if we can't, these kinds of artistic "expressions" are going to inspire independent vigilantism and it will be the fault of the courts when this inevitably happens. 

A federal appeals court says a Supreme Court precedent set in 2002 forces it to protect the in-home possession of AI-generated child sexual abuse material.  The court warned that rapidly advancing technology has complicated legal lines drawn nearly 25 years ago. 

The Seventh Circuit said it was bound by the Supreme Court decision that rejected restrictions on sexually explicit depictions of fictional children when no actual child was involved in their creation. But two judges warned that modern AI can now generate images virtually indistinguishable from material depicting the abuse of real children. 

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/federal-court-rules-sexual-ai-images-childen-are-legal-possess

Europe Had the Hottest Summer EVER

What happens when God shuts off the rain and turns up the thermostat?  Will people repent and cry out to God the creator and sustainer of all things?  Nope!  They’ll double down and curse God while blaming fossil fuels and cow farts.  They can’t think clearly since their minds have been given over to delusional and foolish thinking.  Food prices will start to sky rocket even more and if the Colorado river dries up then California won’t be able to deliver the winter food that all Americans depend on.

The future is bleak for humanity and this sin-filled world but it’s never been brighter for those who trust in Jesus.  All the events the prophets wrote of are sitting on our doorstep.

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 Ongoing measurements suggest this summer could become one of the worst ever recorded for melting Alpine glaciers, with more than a month of the season still to go.

After a mild winter, glaciers had less snow cover than usual at the end of April - and an unusually early heatwave the following month accelerated the melting of snow.

This exposed the ice beneath, leaving the glaciers vulnerable to melting faster in subsequent heatwaves.

As you can see below, satellite imagery suggests much of the front of Rhône Glacier in Switzerland has retreated by 50m (160ft) or more since the same time last year.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gxy0wqqd9o#google_vignette