Fight against statue ludicrous

Good for the Flathead National Forest in backing off its decision to kick a statue of Jesus Christ off national forest lands on the Big Mountain, rather than buckling under to the totalitarian demands of a Wisonsin-based group called the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

Better to put up a fight, and make the case that the statue near the top of Chair Two is in no way establishing a state religion and is instead an icon of historic significance. To be sure, the statue would almost certainly not be permitted today because of the relentless, ratchet-like advancement of a court case here and a court case there that seemingly prevents any and all mixture of religion and state.

But that wasn’t the case back in 1953, when the Big Mountain Jesus was put up by members of the Army’s 10th Mountain Division who were inspired by the religious monuments they saw while fighting in Europe. Now the statue is regarded as a memorial to the veterans who installed it.

Taken in its entire context, including the way church and state was regarded nearly 60 years ago, this is a statue that deserves a grandfather clause, as do a plethora of other alleged church-state conflicts. What about the crosses and the Stars of David that pepper federal ground at Arlington National Cemetery? What about scores of references to God on monuments at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and other federal lands? What about “In God We Trust” on the nation’s currency?

Following the hard-line stand of a self-absorbed nuisance group to its complete and logical, uncompromising end would put all of the above at risk. It would amount to a despotic, dangerous minority imposing its will on society in the same fashion as the Taliban radicals who destroyed ancient non-Muslim religious monuments across Afghanistan for years.

It’s as if the folks at the Freedom From Religion Foundation believe they have a right not to be offended, even when they really haven’t been personally offended at all by the remote and distant Big Mountain Jesus they’ve never seen. They seem to hold that the Constitution guarantees them “Freedom From Religion” when it does no such thing.

But still they saber rattle, leaving Forest Service officials warning that court precedent and agency rules could still lead to the Jesus statue being banished from federal lands on the Big Mountain, despite the expectation that the statue would be damaged or destroyed if it is moved.

Well, here’s an idea: if it comes down to it after putting up resistance, the Forest Service should consider any and all offers to purchase or swap for the 25-foot by 25-foot parcel. We’re not aware of any agency policies that prevent the sale or swapping of national forest land that would serve no other valuable purpose in the future. In fact, the Forest Service is often involved with land transactions.

But first, the Freedom From Religion Foundation should be taken to task. The Forest Service should do the right thing and fight to bring a common-sense conclusion to the case, not cave in to the fanatics. The “Freedom From Religion” folks are claiming they have a right not to be offended, but they don’t — not in multicultural America. They have a right to live side by side with religion, but not to blot it out.