Tag Archives: montana

Atheists Continue Fight Against Military Memorials

As noted previously, a group of atheists (or anti-religionists) at the Freedom From Religion Foundation is trying to bring Jesus down from the mountain.  After finally producing an actual plaintiff, a federal judge has ruled they have standing to continue their lawsuit:

The Knights of Columbus and four others had requested that the lawsuit be dismissed since the Freedom From Religion Foundation had not Read more

Win an Olympic Gold Medal. Get a Ride in a Fighter Jet.

Olympic gold medalist in soccer Abby Wambach recently received a flight in an F-15 Eagle, courtesy of the Air National Guard in Montana.

“She was in the back seat, flying with Lt. Col. Larry Gardner, and she got to see some of the physical demands it takes to be a fighter pilot,” [Maj Cody] Smith said.

She also spoke to troops on diversity, encouragement, and “empowerment of women in the military.”

Atheists Demand Jesus Come Down from Montana Mountain

The aptly named Freedom From Religion Foundation has demanded that the “Big Mountain Jesus” be torn down, because it resides on (leased) US government land.  Interestingly, it has a military connection: It was raised by the local Knights of Columbus in honor of the 10th Mountain Division:

They call him Big Mountain Jesus: a six-foot statue of Christ, draped in a baby blue robe and gazing out over the majestic Flathead Valley from his perch along a ski run at the Whitefish Mountain Resort in Montana.

He has been there for more than 50 years, erected by the local Knights of Columbus chapter in honor of the soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division who told of seeing similar shrines in the mountains of Italy during World War II.

The Knights of Columbus have asked, naturally, to intervene in the case between the FFRF and the Forest Service.  Even the local resort manager saw the historical value of the statue beyond religion:  Read more

From Artillery to the Chaplaincy

David Severson will soon be a Catholic chaplain with the Montana Army National Guard, and he brings an interesting history with him.  He was a 19-year-old artillery man with the US Army when he deployed in support of Operation Desert Storm.

He’s since attended seminary and obtained a degree uniquely suited to his desired end goal as a chaplain

a master’s degree in divinity with particular study of post-traumatic stress disorder…

Severson was recently ordained Read more

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