Skip to content
Deacon Keith Fournier Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you. Help Now >

ATHEISTS LOSE: A big win for religion as Big Mountain Jesus remains

Free World Class Education
FREE Catholic Classes
Big Mountain Jesus memorial will remain.

Atheist activists lost a years-long battle this week over the "Big Mountain Jesus statue," which has been standing for over 60 years on public land near the Big Mountain ski resort in Montana.

We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.

Help Now >

Highlights

MUNTINLUPA, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - The statue was made to memorialize World War II soldiers, and its case has been in and out of the court system since 2012. The Freedom From Religion Foundation has maintained that the statue's presence on public property is unconstitutional. However, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Monday that the statue can stay, because it is located within government-owned land.


"Does a statue standing alone in the forest establish an official state religion? Today the Ninth Circuit emphatically said no." Eric Baxter, an attorney with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, said. "The Court rightly rejected Freedom From Religion Foundation's radical idea that a privately-owned memorial standing in the middle of a ski resort violates the Constitution."

In 2013, a judge stated that the monument could remain. At the time, Becket Fund explained the intricate history behind the land on which the statue stands. According to the Fund, the Knights of Columbus leased the land from the U.S. Forest Service and renewed its agreement with the government every 10 years without incident until 2010.

Initially the government reconsidered the statue's placement following atheist statements, but officials eventually decided to allow it. The decision led the Freedom From Religion Foundation to sue.

"Federal taxpayers are subsidizing religious speech, in this case Catholic," Freedom From Religion Foundation co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor said.

Nonetheless, Big Mountain Jesus has gone through years of court trials and has finally been approved to remain on full display.

---


'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'


Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online

Deacon Keith Fournier Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you. Help Now >

Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.

Prayer of the Day logo
Saint of the Day logo

Catholic Online Logo

Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.

Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.