Jesus statue intended as shrine, opponent claims

It has often been reported that the “Jesus shrine” on the Big Mountain was intended as a war memorial for WWII veterans who lost their lives. This turns out not to be the case at all.

Court seems favorable to religious education funding

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court’s conservative majority appeared ready Wednesday to reinvigorate a Montana scholarship program and make it easier to use public money to pay for religious schooling in many states.

US hasn't followed Utah's approach to LGBTQ protections

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Five years ago, Utah lawmakers negotiated an unlikely ceasefire in the battle between LGBTQ rights and religious freedom, choosing trust and faith over anxiety and fear.

Mormons call for protection of gay rights

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Mormon church announced a campaign Tuesday for new laws that protect gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people from discrimination while somehow also protecting people who assert their religious beliefs.

9/11 anniversary: Wake-up call?

Every year about this time, a sadness is felt in our hearts, as we remember - and recoil from - the horrible truth of what happened on Sept. 11, 2001.

Kansas GOP leader's Medicaid expansion move roils Statehouse

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Jim Denning once symbolized what for Medicaid expansion supporters was wrong with the Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature. Now, the Kansas Senate majority leader is an expansion champion who's under fire from some GOP lawmakers he's supposed to be leading for working with the state's Democratic governor.

OPINION: Radical Islam and national security

‘Our vigilance and diligence as citizens is paramount’

Rep. Rehberg rallies crowd in Whitefish

Statue supporters gather in force

Speaking to a standing-room-only crowd of about 200 people at the Whitefish Veterans of Foreign Wars Post on Thursday, Montana Rep. Denny Rehberg urged continued public support for retaining a veterans memorial statue of Jesus Christ on national forest land on the Big Mountain.

Gianforte signs religious freedom bill allowing challenges

HELENA (AP) — Montana's governor on Thursday signed a bill that codifies the right of people to challenge government regulations that interfere with their religious beliefs.

Pops for the People

A night at the orchestra, dignified, respectful and proper, is a symbol of prosperity in certain circles — a sign that you’re enjoying the finer things in life. And that, says longtime Glacier Symphony director John Zoltek, is just fine most of the time, but even he and his fellow classical devotees love to let their hair down every now and again.

A move to protect religious freedom: Can I get an amen?

Although President Trump has done plenty of things I disagree with, I have to give him credit for continuing to shake up the Washington establishment — which is what he was elected to do in the first place.

High court hits another low point

To start with, we have heard no one - not one voice - call for a state-sponsored religion in the United States of America.

Kalispell parents share details of U.S. Supreme Court experience

Kalispell parents Kendra Espinoza and Jeri Anderson and their children returned home from Washington, D.C., a bit tired, but optimistic, after attending United States Supreme Court arguments Jan. 22 in a case whose outcome could lead to significant shifts in school funding.

Supreme Court to review Montana school choice program

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will consider reviving a Montana program that gives tax credits to people who donate to private-school scholarships. The state’s highest court had struck down the program because it violated the Montana constitution’s ban on state aid to religious organizations.

Thanks for balance

There were two letters on the front page of the Feb. 23 Montana Perspectives section. Though very different, they both represent exactly what a newspaper should do, educate the public to a difficult yet important issue. 

'Frivolity' not reverence at heart of statue ruling

U.S. District Court Judge Dana Christensen found that the low-profile nature and secular history of the Jesus statue on Big Mountain plus a lack of “government entanglement” related to the statue’s presence did not elevate it to a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s Establishment Clause.

Hiring woes continue, but report offers encouraging signs

This Labor Day we honor the American worker and celebrate the symbolic end of summer — and what a summer it has been for the valley’s frontline employees.

Letters to the editor May 18

Letters to the editor May 18

Report from Iran: Americans welcome here

Gracious. Welcoming. Well-educated. Outgoing.

Trump and the moral decay of democracy

World War III? Think it’s impossible? I’m sure that‘s what they thought in the 30s. The insanity of it all is that we’ve gone stupid and allowed the same ugly beast to embed in the fabric of our society. Color the beast green for greed. We‘re dropping our allies that have helped us keep the world on its axis instead of imploding. We’re replacing them with murderous dictators and tyrants who enslave, torture, and kill their own people. We sell weapons to people who kill journalists and dismember them to hide the truth of what goes on in their regime. As long as money’s involved, we’re willing to sell our soul. All it takes to curry favor with our president is stroke his narcissistic ego.