Mountain Jesus in jeopardy

After being denied a permit renewal to keep a memorial statue of Jesus Christ on the Big Mountain, the Knights of Columbus have appealed the Flathead National Forest decision and garnered the support of Montana Congressman Denny Rehberg.

The statue is near the top of Chair 2 on a 25-by-25 foot parcel of land that has been leased from the Forest Service since 1953.

The statue was erected as a memorial to Montana’s returning World II veterans with the support of the Army’s 10th Mountain Division.

The special use permit for the lease required a 10-year renewal, which the Knights of Columbus Kalispell Council applied for last year.

Flathead National Forest Supervisor Chip Weber issued a decision on Aug. 24 declaring the statue as an “inappropriate use” of national forest lands and ordering it to be removed.

Since then, the Knights of Columbus have initiated an administrative appeal that will be decided by the deputy regional forester in Missoula.

Weber’s decision relied heavily on advice of the Forest Service’s Office of General Counsel and legal precedent.

“The Supreme Court has held that the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the government from promoting or affiliating with any religious doctrine or organization,” Weber’s decision states before citing four specific cases.

Rehberg and the Knights of Columbus don’t see it that way.

“The Forest Service’s denial of the lease defies common sense,” Rehberg stated in a Tuesday press release. “Using a tiny section of public land for a war memorial with religious themes is not the same as establishing a state religion. That’s true whether it’s a cross or a Star of David on a headstone in the Arlington National Cemetery, an angel on the Montana Vietnam Memorial in Missoula or a statue of Jesus on Big Mountain. The Forest Service is just flat wrong to deny this lease on those grounds, and I’m working hard to get them to do the right thing.”

Rehberg sent letters to Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell and Northern Region Director Leslie Weldon asking them to reconsider the denied lease renewal.

Another factor that played into the decision to deny the renewal is a Forest Service policy that limits authorized use of national forest lands to those that “cannot be reasonably accommodated” on other lands.

In this case, private land owned by Winter Sports Inc. is located south of the statue’s current location.

“Therefore, it seems reasonable that the statue could be relocated to private land,” the decision states.

In appealing the decision, the Knights contend that moving the state is likely to seriously damage or even destroy it, because it is anchored to a concrete base that was poured in 1953.

Bill Glidden, Grand Knight of the Kalispell Council, views the denied renewal as unnecessary.

“This statue represents all the World War II vets that came home to Montana, and we erected it with the support of the Mountain division of the military,” he said. “It’s been up there for 60 years and I’ve never heard someone in this area complain about it. It’s part of our community, not just for religious reasons, but there are also weddings and community gatherings up there.”

Glidden and Michael Shepard, commander of the Teddy Roosevelt American Legion Post in Whitefish, both predict people will be upset about the Forest Service decision.

“This Forest Service decision is a slap in the face of the men and women who served their country and built this community,” Shepard said. “When you let folks know what’s going on, they’re going to have a fit. We are tired of out-of-state interests coming into our state and imposing their beliefs on us when we don’t do that to them.”

Bryan Donner, the Flathead Forest’s acting forest environmental coordinator, said disrespect is not intended.

“The Flathead National Forest understands and appreciates the importance this monument has to the Knights of Columbus as well as to the veterans in our community,” he said. “The Forest Service will continue to work with both of these organizations towards a positive resolution for placement of the statue.”

Donner explained that the Flathead Forest has until Nov. 11 to respond to the appeal with the regional office in Missoula. After that, the Knights of Columbus have a 20-day period to respond and then Deputy Regional Director Jane Cottrell has 30 days to uphold or reject the appeal.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by email at jmann@dailyinterlake.com.