Oh Come On!!! Damn you Ken Ham!

[Minimalist]

Lewis Black explains the motivation for the state government. Just substitute "Kentucky" for "Mississippi." Same shit, after all.

[Zidneya]

Well I think all of us here can agree that Americans are really one piece of work.

Please, since you've taken the time to make a post, take another moment to explain your apparently bigoted generalization.

Because I hate my country.

Oh, I see now. Projecting your hatred onto others... got it. Thanks.

You do realize that one does not need to hate nor love his/her country to disapprove and opine how other countries act right?

[MJ the Skeptical]

Creationist's Noah's Ark Theme Park Gets $18 Million Tax Break, Won't Hire Gays, Atheists

A Noah's Ark theme park created by famous evolution-denier Ken Ham has just received an $18 million tax break from the citizens of Kentucky, many of whom will be prohibited from being employed there.

Change the conversation, change the world
SHARE THIS
Creationist Ken Ham has very strict standards when it comes to hiring people -- not so strict standards when it comes to accepting donations.

His Ark Encounter theme park late last month was unanimously approved for an $18 million tax break -- paid for by the citizens of Kentucky, thanks to the Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority -- and after many years of trying to get his second creationist-motivated museum moving, he says they have secured financing and broken ground. What Ham doesn't say much about is a reported donation worth $1 million from the leader of a certified white supremacist hate group.

"The project is slated to include a facsimile of Noah’s Ark and the Tower of Babel, and will proselytize Christian evangelicalism to patrons, an Answers in Genesis spokesman said," reports an NPR affiliate.

But Daniel Phelps, the president of the Kentucky Paleontological Society and vice president of Kentuckians for Science Education, isn't pleased. In an op-ed at the Lexington Herald-Leader, "Non-Christians need not apply," Phelps explains his concerns.

"Ark Encounter is run by Answers in Genesis and is clear about its religious basis," Phelps writes. "According to that organization, the Earth is only approximately 6,000 years old, Noah's flood was in 2350 B.C., and there were dinosaurs on the ark (some of which were fire-breathing dragons)."

That organization, by the way, calls itself a "ministry."

"On the day the tax incentives were recommended, the Answers in Genesis website had a help-wanted advertisement," Phelps notes.

The job description included this statement: "Our work at Ark Encounter is not just a job, it is also a ministry. Our employees work together as a team to serve each other to produce the best solutions for our design requirements. Our purpose through the Ark Encounter is to serve and glorify the Lord with our God-given talents with the goal of edifying believers and evangelizing the lost."

All job postings at Answers in Genesis include this statement: "All job applicants for the non-profit ministry of AiG/Creation Museum need to supply a written statement of their testimony, a statement of what they believe regarding creation, and a statement that they have read and can support the AiG Statement of Faith."

The AiG Statement of Faith claims "it is imperative that all persons employed by the ministry in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, should abide by and agree to our Statement of Faith, to include the statement on marriage and sexuality, and conduct themselves accordingly."

It also requires all employees to believe and support "the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ as Sovereign, Creator, Redeemer, and Judge," and the "66 books of the Bible are the written Word of God. The Bible is divinely inspired and inerrant throughout. Its assertions are factually true in all the original autographs. It is the supreme authority in everything it teaches. Its authority is not limited to spiritual, religious, or redemptive themes but includes its assertions in such fields as history and science."

Also:

"The only legitimate marriage sanctioned by God is the joining of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. God intends sexual intimacy to only occur between a man and a woman who are married to each other, and has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. Any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography, or any attempt to change one’s gender, or disagreement with one’s biological gender, is sinful and offensive to God."

In other words, LGBT people and most Christians need not apply.

In fairness, the job posting Phelps mentioned in his op-ed lat month no longer appears on the AiG website, and this note has been added:

The Ark Encounter LLC is the for-profit group that will be responsible for hiring staff for the Ark project. Available positions will be made public at a future time and will be posted on the Ark Encounter website.

Given Ham's strict devotion to an extremist form of religion where everyone must believe as he does -- something it's safe to say even most Christians do not -- how can any other entity of his creation toss those tenets aside and abide by the laws of man?

---

Even Disneyland don't get discounts taxes.
Damn you Ham!

I have one simple question for you. Were you there? If you weren't there then you can't say it happened.

[Mr Greene]

Around here, Portugal, it is unconstitutional to discriminate people based on religion belief. This means that you, as an employer, must accept everyone's applications for a job and then filter out those who don't fulfill your criteria. These criteria must be present in the job ad...
I can see that this would make it difficult for this museum in particular... then again, I think even museums must apply for some permission to operate and this kind of museum would probably never get such a permission around here.

There is that guy who "built" an ark up in Holland, OK it's a facade on an old barge - the keel would break if you actually tried to make the thing for real (Santisima Trinidad was about as big as a wooden ship could be.)

Edit: Maybe we'll finally get a definitive answer as to how many 'kinds' the flat-earthers think there are... That 'replica' will have finite space for models inside after all...

[Dolorian]

Seems that the recent debate between Nye and Ham was partly responsible for drawing a lot of interest (and funs) for this project. The project was struggling to get funds before the debate and now look! Coyne has a post on this:

http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/...-ark-park/

Yet another reason why it is a bad idea to give creationists the spotlight.

[ShaMan]

You do realize that one does not need to hate nor love his/her country to disapprove and opine how other countries act right?

Yes of course. Shall I make a sweeping generalization about 'Mexicans'? Will it help my argument? Like you, shall I also construct a straw-man like the one I've quoted above? Can you address your prejudice before we proceed?

[Zidneya]

Shall I make a sweeping generalization about 'Mexicans'?

If you want to, fine by me.

Will it help my argument?

That depends, what is your argument?

Like you, shall I also construct a straw-man like the one I've quoted above?

I don't like people tell me how to debate much less tell them that. If that's what you want then you should do it.

Can you address your prejudice before we proceed?

My prejudices towards my country? I assume that since you mentioned Mexicans. Because I can tell you the corrupt political parties. link link. That I will never either vote, trust nor be part of.
Or that I hate my president and how he cheated to be elected.link I can tell you a lot of stuff but tell me do you want stuff in general? or in a specific topic?

[DeistPaladin]

I just reviewed this thread again and just had to stop and marvel at this gem:

Phelps writes. "According to that organization, the Earth is only approximately 6,000 years old,

Yup.

...

Wow.

...

I mean, just ...wow.

...

Yeah, yeah, I know who posted this but...

Wow.

...

Yeah, I know we always knew he believed this stuff but I'm just taking it all in. It's like how you know the Grand Canyon exists but actually seeing it and taking it in is such an overwhelming experience.

I mean, the sheer immensity of stupid packed into a single word.

Just one word.

And stated as a matter of fact, without any sense of shame or fear of being laughed out of the room.

This singularity of stupidity is especially poignant when juxtaposed to the fact that he lives in the 21st century in what is supposed to be a 1st world, fully developed nation, complete with mandatory education for all children, the nation that once put a man on the moon. And now we've produced a man who would post something like this.

But wait, there's more. This follows:

Noah's flood was in 2350 B.C.

2348 BC.

It's like seeing two train-wrecks, the second piling into the first one before it.

And then you take in that he's not alone by a long shot.

It's just unbelievable. How did we as a nation manage?

[Diablo]

It was that guy Michael who suggested we talk to young earth creationists......

Yeah, why not? We have infinite lives.

[The Valkyrie]

I smell a lawsuit....even in fucking kentucky.

Lawsuit, protest march, vandalism….attempt of murder to the owner.
Fine by me.

Lawsuit: yes
Protests: Yes
Vandalism: No - let's leave such cowardice actions to our opponents
Murder: Hell no. I LOATHE Ken Ham for the lying, money grubbing conman that he is - but I wouldn't advocate his murder, or that of his compatriots. I'll leave my death wishes on extremists like ISIS, etc.