Citing a child’s fear, anxiety and panic attacks associated with a Protestant church’s teachings, the Maine Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling restricting a divorced mother’s religious influence on the child’s upbringing.
Ruling in favor of the divorced father’s request to restrict his ex-wife’s influence, the court stated:
Calvary Chapel teaches the Bible “verse by verse, chapter by chapter.” This entails sermons that include … “quite vivid description[s]” of Hell…. [The church’s pastor] testified that he preaches about the “Second Coming of Christ,” which will involve “seven years of . . . pure hell on earth under the persecution of … the Antichrist” for those who have not “accept[ed] the terms of God.”
The child has experienced fear and anxiety associated with these teachings. The child has asked [her father, Mathew] Bradeen a lot of questions about Heaven and Hell and about why Bradeen and his other child would not be in Heaven with her. The child has left notes around Bradeen’s house because she fears that the Second Coming is approaching.