Forest Service lets Montana keep Jesus statue on federal land

FFRF WOW!!! let it go please... Annie Gaylor get a real F N job, and maybe worry about your self for a change!

I'm an atheist and I don't really care if there is a Jesus statue on public land or a cross or whatever. Let's face it, we may not be a theocracy and we do have freedom of religion but the majority of Americans do consider themselves to be Christian of one type or another whether practicing or not and most of these religious symbols were placed there a long time ago which kind of makes them a part of the heritage of whever they were placed.

However, with that said, I would wonder if there would be an uproar if instead of a cross it was a giant Buddha statue or a giant cresent moon or a statue of Vishnu or a Pagan pentagram placed on a marker. Let's face it, we do have Buddhists in our country and we do have Muslims in our country and we do have Hindu's in our country and we do have Pagan's in our country. Yet, low and behold, if they wanted a symbol of their beliefs left on public land there would be outrage. Probably by the same people defending the Jesus. It seems many Christians feel that the only religion worthy of honoring is theirs. So much for freedom of religion, eh?

they say organized religion is crazy, then what do you call organized anti-religion?

You know, there are some out there who have made a career out of being offended.

At the time of our countries' founding, to be a successful man, you needed to be a member of the official Church of England. Our Founders wanted to make sure that church membership was not a requirement for property ownership, legal justice, voting or government service. It was never meant to prevent people from worshipping freely and openly.
The term we use , separation of church and state, is a misinterpretation, it is revisionist history.

For any of those who have read the constitution of these United States in their entirety should know by now that no where and I MEAN NOWHERE IN THE CONSTITUTION DOES IT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE. What is says is the government shall not establish a national religion or favor one over another. What the supreme court and just about everyone else in America has forgotten is that the founding fathers had dealt with the church of England and it's relation with the British government of the time. They did not want a repeat of this. What they wanted was to keep government and religion separate from each other politically. I really tire of these people trying to enforce their beliefs on me. Leave the crosses, statues etc. where they are find something more important to fight for. This country was founded on christian principles and as one I respect the beliefs of others and their right to practice their religious beliefs or even non-religious beliefs as long as they do not infringe on mine. The statues has been there 57 years, leave it alone.

the statue needs to stay to remind people that Jesus really does exist and needs to b everywhere in ur hearts, in ur minds, in the govornment, in the schools, everywhere even on private and public property

Comon guys, get with the program!! its the "Land of the free...Home of the offended"

Why is there a ski resort on federal land? Is it government owned and run? IF the land is rented, how can I go about setting up a hot dog stand at Yosemite?

Good grief; I'm not exactly a religious individual, but this is silly. Whether non-Christians like it or not, many things of historical significance also have religious meaning. The statue originally was erected in 1955 as a tribute to World War II veterans -- this isn't something that Bible-thumpers put up a few years back. I wish people would stop being so offended over everything! Their indignation at something like this shows they are nothing more than thin-skinned, selfish individuals who have no respect for the rights of others. I mean, how does it REALLY bother them? No one is asking them to worship it. Just let it alone.

I am an atheist. I have no problem with iconic figures like this. They are part of our history and should remain. There are many atheists who think attacking Christians this way is wrong. FFRF needs to shove it where the sun don't shine.

maybe they should read the constitution they way it is written,,,not the way they want it to read!

I'm an atheist and I'm all for the separation of church and state, but I think historic sites should be exempt from these sorts of federal land use rules. I don't think old Spanish missions in California, for instance, should be torn down just because they were religious in nature and bear crosses. These people need to choose their battles more wisely.

Separation of Church & State means no government imposed religion. It does not mean destroying or demeaning our Judeo Christian Heritage. We aren't going on a Crusade to get rid of Atheists or Muslims or whatever. Why have we become a country of minority rules, instead of a country that cares and tolerates all.

I am sick of these low life atheists who literally live just to #$%$ religious people off. If you don't believe in God, fine. But don't be such an #$%$ about it and ruin it for everyone else. That's like me running to the mall with Santa in it and yelling "Santa doesn't exist! It's a fake!" to all the children over there. Heck, at least Santa is generally acknowledged to be fake. To many people, God is 100% real.

The first amendment does NOT I repeat NOT say 'separation of church and state' PERIOD. It says that the government cannot and will not pass any laws or amendments that either promote or prohibit ANY religion or the practice thereof. It CANNOT ban praying in public schools, it CANNOT ban any public displays of religious freedom on private or public lands, it CANNOT use religion as a basis for passing or debating ANY law, it CANNOT use religion as a political stance for election to office...Our Constitution has been ripped to shreds by self serving politicians and organizations and their high paid lawyers. RESEARCH for yourselves. 'Separation' came from a letter. A letter from the same person who said "Atheists are liars and should not be trusted". You want to follow what this person said in a private letter then you got to take it ALL. Not just what pleases YOU. Oh yes, by the way Atheism is a religion also. It is the belief that there is no God or higher power. Therefore you, by your own self imposed bans, cannot openly in a public place un-pray. WE will decide what the definition of un-pray is. Like a moment of silence, we know you are un-praying then. Or when you are at school hoping for a passing grade, perfect example of public un-praying. Just like the idiots who warp the Constitution for their benefit, WE can do the same. BRING IT ON!!

It's a statue of a human....mythical or otherwise....It's stone and it doesn't speak or preach....Not any different than a statue of any other person or thing....George Washington, MLK, Abe Lincoln, Thomas Edison, Bart Simpson, Yogi the bear....The government didn't erect the statue anyway, nor are they taking a stand or making a statement for what the statue means or is supposed to mean. The government isn't telling anyone to worship or who or what to worship....If there are people out there who "choose" to worship Jesus or The GEICO gecko, that's their business, not the government's business. The government didn't spend a penny or a drop of sweat to erect the statue, so why should they spend time and/or money taking it down.

wow seriously? complaining about a harmless statue.................

It's a memorial statue for vets. Soon to be grandfathered in permenatly as a historic site. Done. i am agnostic, and I love the statue.

With all of the chaos, killing, wars, child suicides and poverty in this country the FFRF is dedicated to removing a religious statue from a remote national ski park? Annie Lorrie Gaylor why don't you spend your time, money and energy helping the handicapped, the poor, senior citizens or the homeless. Oh that's right you are an athiest....that eliminates any concern you have for your fellow man. That gives you all the time in the world to track down religious symbols in public places and government property. How does that better man kind in any way? Taking down something rather than building up something. Take away what others believe in because you believe in nothing! Does that really make any sense? I guess that statue (which by the way isn't easy to find it isn't that big and as one blogger wrote it is almost hidden by trees) really caught your eye....probably gave you a real sick feeling in your stomach.....that is the feeling you will get when you draw your last breath when you actually look into the face of God and realize Oh oh there really is a GOD! Never the less you are in someone's book at the end of your days...unfortunately it won't be in GOD's book of those who will share in eternal life. For you ...your dead and done! I feel very badly for you and all athiests.....you have no hope! A Real American Viet Nam Vet 1971 - 1974