Thread: Montana: Whitefish Jesus Statue To Get Legislative Hearing

http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articl...hearing/26402/



Whitefish Jesus Statue to Get Legislative Hearing



Rehberg proposing land swap to protect memorial

By Myers Reece , 01-27-12
Republican Congressman Denny Rehberg announced on Jan. 27 that his legislation to protect the Jesus statue at Whitefish Mountain Resort will be given a legislative hearing in the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forest and Public Lands.

The hearing is scheduled for 7 a.m. Mountain Standard Time on Feb. 3. Rehberg, according to a press release, will testify on the first panel. Charlie Harball, Kalispell city attorney and acting city manager, will testify on behalf of the Knights of Columbus on the second panel.

The fate of the Jesus statue, a veterans memorial located on a small parcel of U.S. Forest Service land within Whitefish Mountain Resort boundaries, became a national storyline and hot-button topic of discussion in local circles last fall after the Forest Service initially announced it planned to withdraw the statue's permit. The agency declared the statue an inappropriate use of public land.

The Forest Service withdrew its decision to deny the permit, though the statue's future remained uncertain. Rehberg proposed a land swap to ensure the statue would stay where it has been since the 1950s. The legislative hearing is an important step in order for Rehberg's proposal to come to fruition.

“We all hope that the Forest Service will do the right thing and listen to the overwhelming public support for keeping the memorial right where it is,” Rehberg said in a release. “This memorial to World War II veterans has brought people together across north west Montana, and across America. And I’m going to fight hard to protect it because of what it means to the local community and to those who served our country. If the Forest Service doesn’t make the right decision, this hearing means my legislative solution will be ready to go at a moment’s notice.”

Forest Service says it won't evict Jesus statue (OneNewsNow.com)
Forest Service says it won't evict Jesus statueAssociated Press - 2/1/2012



HELENA, MT - The U.S. Forest Service says it will re-authorize a permit for a 57-year-old statue of Jesus that had been facing eviction from a Montana ski resort.


The agency got a firestorm of criticism from religious groups, the state's congressman and residents after it decided last fall to boot the Jesus statue from its hillside perch in the trees.

The Forest Service said Tuesday that it will renew a 10-year special-use permit for the Knights of Columbus Council statue. Service supervisor Chip Weber says the decision took into account that the statue "is important to the community for its historical heritage."

The agency received more than 90,000 comments on the issue.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation says it will file a federal lawsuit demanding the Jesus statue's removal.

‘Obey the Constitution!’: Atheists Announce Lawsuit Against Montana Jesus Statue

The Blaze – 7 hrs ago...

On Tuesday, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) heralded a U.S. Forest Service decision to renew a lease for land housing a Jesus statue on a Montana mountain as "a significant victory." But just hours later, the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), an infamous church-state separatist group, announced that it will be suing to seek the removal of the statue's "unconstitutional" presence.

In a press release posted on the FFRF's web site, the group's co-president, Annie Laurie Gaylor, railed against the decision to allow the religious relic, which serves as a World War II memorial, and pledged to take the battle to the courts. The action to let it stay, she says, shows preference for Christianity and is unlawful.

"A federal agency should not hold a vote on whether to obey the Constitution!" said Gaylor. "The U.S. Forest Service has unlawfully misused federal land owned by all of us to further Christianity in general, and Roman Catholicism in particular. This diminishes the civil and political standing of nonreligious and non-Christian Americans, and shows flagrant governmental preference for religion and Christianity."

Yesterday, Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ, had a very different opinion on the matter.

“This decision by the National Park Service represents a significant victory in defense of the history and heritage of the region,” Sekulow proclaimed. “We’re delighted that federal officials understood what we have argued all along — that this statue of Jesus does not convey any government religious endorsement of religion. Instead, this historically important memorial is designed to commemorate the sacrifice made by those killed in World War II.”

The group has already prepared a legal complaint and it will soon be filed in Montana federal court. While the Forest Service initially agreed to remove the statue late last year, the decision was overturned upon massive public reaction. You can read more about the history of the debate here.

Now, it seems the courts will have to decide if leasing the land to the Knights of Columbus is a viable -- and legal -- choice.

‘Obey the Constitution!’: Atheists Announce Lawsuit Against Montana Jesus Statue - Yahoo! News