“I recognize that the statue is important to the community for its historical heritage . . .”
Chip Weber, Supervisor with U.S. Forest Service
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| Photo by Mark Goble |
Jesus can stay atop the mountain—for now, at least. Residents in Whitefish, Montana (population 6,357) were upset when the U.S. Forest Service announced last year it was evicting the Jesus statue that has sat on the hills overlooking that town since 1955.
The Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization, put the statue there. Many of its members had fought in World War II and were inspired by religious monuments they saw in the mountains of Europe. However, the Forest Service found that the statue violated this country’s laws mandating separation of church and state, and said it had to go. The decision sparked fiery debate and drew over 95,000 comments from folks around the country.
Last month, the Forest Service reversed its decision, finding that the statue is eligible for placement on and protection under the National Register of Historic Places. It granted the Knights of Columbus a special use permit to keep Jesus where he is, for 10 years at least.
Groups opposed to seeing Jesus hold court over the mountain promise to sue.
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