"Big Mountain Jesus" Can Stay: Appeals Court Rules against Atheist Lawsuit

News Staff : Sep 1, 2015
CBN News

In 1953, a Knights of Columbus chapter built a monument at Big Mountain to commemorate the sacrifices of World War II American soldiers. It had a statue of Jesus with arms outstretched.

(Montana)—[CBN News] The six-foot statue known as "Big Mountain Jesus" can remain on U.S. Forest Service property in Montana, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday.

The three-judge panel rejected a lawsuit against the statue brought by the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

The court ruled that the 60-year-old statue serves a "primarily secular purpose," and was not an unconstitutional establishment of religion.

The display was erected on a ski slope in the Flathead National Forest in 1954 by the Knights of Columbus.

It honors World War II veterans who fought in the Alps, and it's also included in the National Register of Historic Places.