A 6-foot tall statue of Jesus that has spent the last 60 years overlooking a northwestern Montana ski hill isn't going anywhere.

The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Monday that the statue, dubbed Big Mountain Jesus, does not violate the constitutional separation of church and state.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation had sought to remove the memorial, which stands on land owned by the United States Forest Service, on the Whitefish Mountain Resort.

Two members of the three-judge panel agreed with U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen of Montana, who found that the statue's secular and irreverent uses outweighed its religious uses.

A 6-foot tall statue of Jesus that has spent the last 60 years overlooking the Whitefish Mountain Resort in northwest Montana isn't going anywhere, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Monday

In June of 2013 Christensen wrote that the statue had been the subject of 'much frivolity over the years', citing its popularity as a meeting places for skiers and the fact it has been festooned with ski hats, goggles, Mari Gras beads and other secular decorations.

On Monday the court ruled that it had identified 'secular rationales' for the statue to continue standing, including its 'cultural and historical significance for veterans, Montanans and tourists'.

It also noted that the statue was included in the National Register of Historic Places, according to an opinion obtained by the Washington Post.

Circuit Judge Harry Pregerson dissented, saying a statue of Jesus 'situated on a government-leased land cannot realistically be looked upon as being 'predominantly secular in nature.'

The Freedom From Religion Foundation plans to ask that the case be reviewed by the full court, said co-founder Annie Laurie Gaylor.

Big Mountain Jesus was erected in 1954 by veterans of the Army's 10th Mountain Division and members of the Knights of Columbus, Catholic fraternal service organization, as a memorial to World War II soldiers.

On Monday the court ruled that it had identified 'secular rationales' for the statue to continue standing, including its 'cultural and historical significance for veterans, Montanans and tourists

The statue remained in place with few complaints for decades, a fact noted by the court on Monday.

The Flathead National Forest decided in 2011 not to renew the 10-year permit for the statue but reversed the decision due to public outcry.

Upon the renewal, the Forest Service labeled the statue as a historical display rather than a religious icon.

It was then sued by the Freedom For Religion foundation in 2012, which claimed that it violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

'We put into evidence that the Knights of Columbus had an explicitly theological reason to put up a shrine to Jesus,' said Gaylor.

In a concurring opinion, Circuit Judge N. Randy Smith noted that from 1942 to 1998, the Forest Service issued a wide variety of special use permits for permanent monuments.

Rules in effect at that time said the Forest Service 'shall renew' the permits if the memorials were still being used for the purpose previously authorized and were being maintained.

He noted the agency likely would not issue a new permit for a similar monument due to changes in the rules.