It is affectionately known to skiers and other outdoor enthusiasts as "Big Mountain Jesus" — a 6-foot-tall public sculpture of Christ that has stood for the past six decades on national forest land in Whitefish, Mont.
This week, a federal appeals court ruled that the work of art can stay put following an effort to remove it organized by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a national nonprofit group that advocates for the separation of church and state and is seen by some as a promotional organization for atheism.
The 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals issued a 2-1 ruling Monday stating that the statue's presence on federal land doesn't violate the Establishment Clause, the part of the First Amendment that forbids government from establishing religion.