Christians, Children, and Cults, Oh My!

by Andy Caldwell

As reported by the Gateway Pundit, an anti-Christian judge, who happened to be a former ACLU president, issued an order preventing a mother from taking her 12-year-old daughter, Ava, to church. The order also prevents the daughter from associating with her church friends, attending church or religious events, and – get this – it even prevents Ava from reading the bible and discussing her faith with her own mother. Ava is also prohibited from participating in Christian holiday events such as Christmas and Easter, or associating with anybody from her church, including at weddings and funerals!

How did this come about?

Well, Ava’s mother, Emily Bickford, was never married to Ava’s father, Matt Bradeen. Emily has primary custody of Ava, while the father has visitation rights. Nevertheless, the father – who admittedly hates Christianity – engaged the leftist judge and a California Marxist former sociology professor who served as an “expert witness” testifying that the church Emily and Ava went to, Calvary Chapel, Portland, was a cult that causes psychological harm to children. The judge determined that Emily was a fit parent except for the fact that she is a Christian!

The case has now been appealed to the Maine Supreme Court.

First, Calvary Chapel is not a cult. It spawned the Jesus Movement in Southern California in the 1960s and now the Harvest Crusades by Pastor Greg Laurie. Calvary Chapel is considered a very respectable association of churches.

Second, I guess this judge has never heard of the First Amendment.

Third, the father and his expert witness didn’t even have to prove harm, only assert the same.

Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men

This is the perfect time in America to think about how something this outrageous and offensive to our very identity as Americans could come about.

I learned something in college about the meaning of holidays having to do with what is called “shrinking the collective conscience.” The purpose is to have every member of society to singularly focus on the meaning of the occasion for the purpose of societal cohesion and bonding.

Many of our holidays are meant to inspire patriotism, such as July 4^th, along with reverence and honor for the people who served in our military: Veteran’s Day, and remembrance of those who lost their lives doing so, Memorial Day. A third category is our remembrance of great leaders including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King. Then, we have three major religious holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter Sunday.

Unfortunately, our schools rarely promote any of these holidays any longer or the sentiments surrounding the same. In fact, by teaching such things as multi-culturalism and its twin grandchildren, DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion), and CRT (Critical Race Theory), not to mention the granddaddy of them all, Secular Humanism, they have obliterated most of our holidays while engaging in character assassination for the subject of many others by claiming America is a racist construct. This is one fundamental explanation as to why America is more divided than it has been in decades.

Speaking of a time of division, President Ulysses S. Grant was the first President to declare Christmas Day as a national holiday. It was said that while Grant wanted a “hard war” – referring to the Civil War –, he wanted a “soft peace” thereafter. He hoped this holiday would foster unity in a country that was still reeling from the deep and bitter divisions of the Civil War.

Perhaps, this Christmas, we could use this season to remind ourselves of our common blessings, faith, and heritage?

From “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:

And in despair I bowed my head;

“There is no peace on earth,” I said;

“For hate is strong,

And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The Wrong shall fail,

The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

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