Well, what the heck, it's only a six foot, concrete statue. Yet in contemporary America Big Mountain Jesus has become much more than that. He was built, lovingly, by WWII veterans to honor the Army's 10th Mountain Division (coincidentally headquartered at Fort Drum in northern N.Y.S.). Big Mountain Jesus has been tenderly cared for by Knights of Columbus Council #338 in Kalispell, MT. For his creators, Big Mountain Jesus was a loving reminder of the innumerable statues and monuments the 10th viewed during its sweep of Europe during the war. Yet most of them are now dead.
Controversy and public outcry arose last summer when Council #338 applied for a new lease. Before making its final decision in the matter, the U.S. Forest Service prudently decided to learn more about how the public felt. More than 100,000 comments later, the period of public comment is about to end. Both positive and negative reactions to the statue's current location have been recorded by Christian and atheist groups alike, including the American Center for Law and Justice as well as the Liberty Institute and a Wisconsin-based organization known as the Freedom From Religion Foundation. And a recent turn of events has taken the matter in a new direction when the Montana State Historical Preservation Office announced that the Big Mountain Jesus site may be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. So there you are -- and oh, by the way, there is a tangible fear that moving Big Mountain Jesus might cause him to crumble and fall to pieces. A decision about his fate will be made in the next few days. Watch for it...
My sources of information for this blog come from today's "Watertown Times" (home of Fort Drum) written by Gordon Block, and an on-line article from the "Whitefish Pilot," written by Heidi Desch. I am also borrowing a photo by Matt Baldwin who works for the above newspaper too.
So what do I think about the Big Mountain Jesus controversy? I was raised a Lutheran; my mother was dutiful and lived in dread fear of her own pious bible-reading mother. When I went off to college I became enchanted by the town's Unitarian-Universalist Church and several of my professors who were members of that same liberal religious organization. Unitarians would not, for instance, refer to the fellow in the photo as Jesus Christ, but as Jesus of Nazareth. Quite a difference if one thinks about it. Well, even after all these years I remain a member of the Unitarian-Universalist Church in nearby Canton. But as my wife is quick to point out, I am now a "fallen away" Unitarian. That said, I still think of myself as a religious person, but one who questions and still seeks answers.
I was looking at some photos last evening that I'd taken a couple of years ago in the scenic village of Waddington, which overlooks the St. Lawrence River. The dominant subjects in these photos were Canadian geese in the midst of their annual migration. On the opposite side of the river is Morrisburg, Ontario, Canada. It struck me that the geese could care less about such a thing as a trifling international boundary. They fly back and forth like I go out to my mailbox, with impunity. And nobody really cares. And both Canadians and Americans share similar enthusiasm for these magnificent birds.
And then yesterday, on our usual route to Lake Placid, we passed by the statue of St. Peter in front of the Church of Santa Clara, almost a wilderness outpost with an Adirondack history dating back to the lumbering days. We ALWAYS wave at St. Peter, just for good luck -- and we've been doing it for many, many years. Even though he's not St. Christopher, I like to think that it would be downright wrong not to salute him. And I do not think of myself as superstitious, even though this simple act might be certain evidence of it.
Frankly, I respect the Establishment Clause; it is one of the bedrock principles of my nation. But I sure the heck am equally respectful of symbols and traditions that remind me so centrally of the culture in which I am immersed -- for better or worse. I truly hope that Big Mountain Jesus gets himself placed on the National Register of Historic Places. And I will be disappointed if it is determined that he must find a new home. Here in the Adirondacks we still have lean-to's and fire towers in "Forever Wild" designated lands. Sometimes preserving the best of our past means making an exception.
Carry on,
Paul in Potsdam
1 comment:
Looks like Jesus gets to stay, at least until the conclusion of the next lawsuit.
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Forest-Service-to-Jesus-You-can-stay-for-now-2875414.php
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