Jesus Statue in Montana Must Go, Group Says

[The Straight Story]

Jesus Statue in Montana Must Go, Group Says

(CN) - An anti-religion group has filed a federal complaint to remove a statue of Jesus Christ perched on public land beside a Montana ski resort.
The Knights of Columbus, a Catholic nonprofit, first erected the 6-foot-tall Jesus statue in 1953 with permission from the U.S. Forest Service. It rests on a 625-square-foot plot of federal land in the Flathead National Forest on Big Mountain near a ski lift chair operated by Whitefish Mountain Resort.

Though the Forest Service agreed to remove the statue last year, it recently caved to pressure from the religious right to uphold the statue, according to a complaint from the Madison, Wis.-based Freedom from Religion Foundation.
...
But the Freedom From Religion Foundation says the Montana Historic Preservation Office bars listing to properties "associated with important persons or events or religious values.
To overcome this obstacle, supporters of the statue allegedly recharacterized it "as something other than a religious shrine or war memorial."

Faced with this pressure, the Forest Service reauthorized the special permit for the statue to the Knights of Columbus on Jan. 31, 2012, the complaint states.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/02/13/43833.htm

[Ptah]

1. Do you think it should stay?

[The Straight Story]

2. Well, if it does stay....

Think about the terror it would cause people.

It has been there since 1953, and the harm it has caused others cannot be measured - how would you feel if you saw a statue of Jesus?

If I went skiing on national land and there was a buddah statue (which I think would be cool) it might cause me to feel bad or something....

Sarcasm aside though - not really (although...) it should not stay on public land. I don't feel it harms anyone, but I don't want religious stuff (in general, not always) sitting around on government property. I am not offended by it, it does not harm me, and in some ways I can see letting it stay because it has been there for so long. It has historical significance.

If someone wanted to put one there today, I would say no. Letting one stay there that has been there for so long, I can see letting it slide.

I don't want statues of anyone in general cluttering up our national/federal/state/local parks - whether they be religious or philosophical in nature.

[Honeycombe8]

12. It'd be okay to stay there, to me, since it's been there so long.

There have been exemptions made in other places to religious things, when they have been there a long time. After a long time, they become sort of historical to the site or something. It's been there almost 60 years.

[grantcart]

20. No move it to a nearby Church or private land.

Are the Christians so insecure with their faith that they have to keep pushing at other people?

Find a private piece of land on the way with an obliging property owner and put it there.

For the record I don't believe that Rabbi Jesus would approve of it either.

[onehandle]

3. Fantastic. This is an important issue. Really.

Really, really.

Where is the job legislation, Speaker Boehner?

[Drahthaardogs]

4. Why not just sell the 625 sq feet of land to the Knight of Columbus

for $50 or something. I understand it should not be on public land, but I guess in these times, with so much going on, fighting over a statue just seems trivial.

[Liberal Veteran]

5. Wouldn't the government also be required to offer the same to all?

A plot here to the Knights of Columbus, A plot the Ladies of the Knights of Columbus, a plot for the Minions of Cthulu, the Pastafarians, the Junior League of Raeliens, the Glee Club of Satan, The Anglo-Saxon Sons of Muhammed (Mid-Georgia Branch).....and so on until our parks were littered with icons of everyone's favorite personal diety?

[Paulie]

8. And also the lovely selling lands to your cronies

Like Bush was doing with drilling rights for pennies in our collectively owned national forests? It ends when?

[Liberal Veteran]

9. It is okay, the Vanguard of Exxonia is erecting oil rig monuments to their god.

[Paulie]

11. Ah, Dickus Cheneykaka

I remember him from history.

[Honeycombe8]

13. LOL! nt

[Drahthaardogs]

16. They did not sell them, they "leased" them, for 12% royalties for 60 years.

I have done a little work in the fields in Wyoming and N. Dakota. Mostly on BLM lands though. National Forests were spared the brunt of the damage.

[Paulie]

23. There are no royalties for a statue. It just sits there

They had a free lease all this time. Lease up, time to get this illegal religious symbol off public land.

And fighting to keep church and state separate is more critical today than ever.

[pinboy3niner]

10. We Minions of Cthulu demand equal rights!1!!

And don't believe the Pastafarians or the Glee Club of Satan--they lie through their teeth (or fangs, as the case may be)!

[undeterred]

6. I guess it would be different if Jesus were actually a skier.

[Generic Brad]

19. Technically he is a skier

Snow is a form of water. He can walk on it. Theoretically, he should be able to ski. There is a science to miracles.

[MattBaggins]

7. Right off the bat

"anti-religion group"... That reporter doesn't even attempt to examine their own bias.

[Douglas Carpenter]

15. I would think an organization that calls itself the "Freedom From Religion Foundation" and states

that its purpose is to oppose religious belief might reasonably be interpreted by a reporter as "anti-religious."

This is their website:


http://ffrf.org/faq/about-the-foundation/

.

[deucemagnet]

24. Where in the faq you posted does it say that they "oppose religious belief"?

They are called the "Freedom From Religion Foundation" because they want other peoples religions out of their lives, not because they oppose religious belief. It is wrong to conflate the two. If you don't want my dog on your property, that doesn't necessarily make you anti-dog.

[Paulie]

25. To quote from the link:

The purposes of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc., as stated in its bylaws, are to promote the constitutional principle of separation of state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.

Only anti religion when the church leaves the church and starts infringing on our shared public sphere.

[WillyT]

14. 6 Foot Tall ??? - C'Mon Montana... You Can Do Better Than That !!!

We're talking 90 feet here, man...







More: http://tinyurl.com/78hexb3

[alphafemale]

18. That looks more like a Jedi to me. nt

[NoGOPZone]

31. I think it resembles The Lawgiver from the Planet of the Apes series nt

[Nuclear Unicorn]

29. with frickin' lasers on its head

[kestrel91316]

17. The christians can have their jeebus statues on public land

when (and only when) every other religion including satanism gets to put their own statue right with it, same size.

[LeftyMom]

21. I'm sure Montana has a church or two. Surely one would be happy to host Our Lord and Lawn Statuary

on their private land.

[1620rock]

22. Well, the "historic" Jesus...

...was a damn fine long-haired, sandal wearing, leftist hippy liberal who taught peace and love. Let it stay.

[Kellerfeller]

26. Can you imagine the hand-wringing this would cause

if it were in the US?

[Aerows]

30. I was just thinking of the statue in Rio

I think arguments like this are nonsense. Do we get rid of statues of Greek gods and goddesses because they are "religious"? It's silly.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

27. I heard there's someone who can get rid of it. Very experienced

[Aerows]

28. I don't believe in getting into an uproar

over things like this. If they paid for it, and got permission, let it stay. It's not like it's harming anyone.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

32. It's on public land so it has to go.

Pretty simple constitutional question.

And yes I am a lawyer, although I do not play one on TV.
Unlike Shatner.