JACKSON, Ohio – Jesus Christ is not a historical figure, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

And the presence of his portrait in an Ohio high school, on a “Wall of Fame” meant to highlight historical figures, caused those who viewed it “permanent, severe and irreparable harm and injury,” according to the ACLU.

As absurd as those claims may be, the Jackson City school board has cowered to the demands of the ACLU, which filed a lawsuit in February to force the district to remove the portrait of Christ.

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The district has agreed to remove the portrait that was hung in 1947 (it’s actually been off the wall since April) and pay the ACLU and another litigant a $95,000 fine as a settlement, according to Fox News.

This is absolutely absurd.

“The case could have ended before it began if the school had simply acknowledged that it is not the government’s place to endorse one specific religion in a public school that children are legally required to attend,” James Hardiman, legal director for the ACLU’s Ohio chapter, was quoted as saying.

There’s only one problem with Hardiman’s argument. The portrait was not hung on the wall for religious purposes. It was placed as a tribute to a human being who had an undeniably profound influence on the development of western culture.

Are the ACLU attorneys claiming that Christ is not as historically significant as Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Karl Marx, Mahatma Ghandi or Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?

Is so, they need a refresher course in history of western civilization.

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Apparently the school district decided to wave the white flag of surrender “rather than spending taxpayer dollars on fighting the lawsuit,” according to Superintendent Phil Howard.

While concern for taxpayer dollars is commendable, the district missed a golden opportunity to stand up for its rights without spending a penny. The school board president could have logged on to Facebook, put out a call for contributions to help with legal expenses, and we believe the district would have been overwhelmed with donations.

Every Christian church in America and beyond would have passed the plate to keep this battle going.

There’s no doubt that the ACLU has been valuable at times over the years, going to the mat to defend fundamental constitutional rights. But its anti-Christian obsession was stretched too far in this case, and the fact that it won without much of a fight – and walked away with a cash settlement – is a crying shame.