Noah's Ark theme park loses tax breaks because of religious hiring policy

[cbayer]

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/dec/11/noahs-ark-theme-park-loses-tax-breaks-religious-hiring-policy

The Kentucky Christian ministry that already runs the Creation Museum told that state tax incentives ‘cannot be used to fund religious indoctrination’


Associated Press in Louisville
theguardian.com, Thursday 11 December 2014 14.24 GMT


Plans for a Noah's Ark theme park in Kentucky will go ahead but without state tax breaks. Photograph: Heritage Images/Getty

Kentucky has withdrawn its offer of tax breaks for a religious-themed park that would feature a 500ft-long wooden ark because its organisers plan to screen park employees based on religion.

The planned Ark Encounter park has evolved from a tourism attraction into an outreach for the Christian ministry that is building it, the state tourism secretary, Bob Stewart, said in a letter to the group’s lawyer on Wednesday.

“Certainly, Ark Encounter has every right to change the nature of the project from a tourism attraction to a ministry,” Stewart wrote in the letter. “However, state tourism tax incentives cannot be used to fund religious indoctrination or otherwise be used to advance religion.”

The long-planned attraction is being built by a nonprofit subsidiary of Answers in Genesis, the Kentucky-based Christian ministry that operates the popular and controversial Creation Museum. Foundation work and earth-moving are under way at the site in Grant County near Williamstown.

more at link

[Major Nikon]

1. ...

[CurtEastPoint]

2. Wanna bet they get that dweeb Sekulow to sue them?

Him and his American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). Another cash cow.

[cbayer]

3. He might do it for the publicity but I bet he loses.

[edhopper]

4. Good news indeed

I hope it loses a fortune, as these biblical theme parks often do.

[cbayer]

5. I think it's doomed.

I was going to go to Ham's creation museum at one point just because I wanted to see it.

But then I read the rules about how you have to sign something saying they will eject you is you mock it in anyway.

And while I probably could've stayed in for awhile, in the end I just could not justify giving him a dime.

[pinto]

6. Good, solid call by the state.

+1

[TlalocW]

7. Considering their Creation Museum is a separate but not really entity

And the museum is starting to lose money and ultimately all the money for stuff like this is intertwined, hopefully this will push them faster into bankruptcy.

TlalocW

[cbayer]

8. Wouldn't that be a wonderful outcome.

[No Vested Interest]

15. The Creation Museum added a zip line in the past year or so,

presumably in an attempt to boost income.

[TlalocW]

16. Yeah, I remember that

It's an indication that even things like museums, etc. can't survive unless they, "evolve." There are no new discoveries in the "science" of creationism or scientific applications that can come from it so there are no other museums that they can get new displays from so it remains static. From what I've seen of the interior of the museum, it doesn't even look like it is set up to be able to change things around much.

How close is this Ark attraction going to be to the museum? It would seem to me that based on the size of this new undertaking that it's been planned out for a while, and if it had been placed close to the museum, they could sell packages that include both meaning they could have hung on until the Ark was built and wouldn't have needed the zip line...

TlalocW

[cbayer]

17. They are about 45 minutes away from each other.

On their website they are trying to sell them as separate attractions that you could visit over 2 days. They do not appear to be selling "package" tickets that would include both.

I'm not at all sure that they can proceed without the state tax breaks.

[TlalocW]

18. Well, he's claiming they can proceed

But it also looks like they're going to try to fight Kentucky on it, using their twisted version of religious liberty as a reason.

They were also selling junk bonds - at least for a while (maybe still are). http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/11/ark_encounter_finances_obamacare_sank_ken_ham_s_creationist_theme_park.html

And they plan on putting up 16 billboards in the Kentucky area and then a digital one in New York's Time Square aimed at "Intolerant Liberal Friends." I guess that could be a method to raise money off of conservative Christians who see the billboards (Kenny needs our money cuz the libruls are attacking him), but it seems like it would cost more than it raises. More than likely, it's just Ken feels the need to soothe his ego and attack his enemies - real and imagined.

TlalocW

[cbayer]

19. Didn't he put up billboards in Times Square last christmas.

IIRC, there was some kind of billboard battle between him and an atheist group.

Anyway, unless he is willing to make a significant change in his employment practices, I don't think he can win a case against the state.

There is a part of me that wants to see these things and I wrestled with the decision over whether or not to visit the Creation Museum on a recent road trip. In the end, I just couldn't justify giving him a dime. PZ Myers took one for the team and did a pretty hilarious report after his visit.

[edhopper]

9. Hopefully it will end up like this

http://www.messynessychic.com/2013/10/04/holy-land-usa-before-after-the-abandoned-christian-theme-park/

[cbayer]

10. There may still be a purpose for "Holey Land"

[AtheistCrusader]

14. No, they actually made it out of wood. When this thing comes to its end, the people on the space

station will be able to see it with the naked eye.

[Warren Stupidity]

11. I've googled noahs ark, And it is a matter of debate.

Being a reasoned and rational person who likes to have data before weighing in on many things, I went to the google machine on this.

That is, of course, unless you have some hard data that hasn't been shared with the rest of humankind to submit.

No? Didn't think so.

There is and will always be debate about these kinds of historical figures and stories.

It is so silly to try and win this debate. There are people much smarter and more informed on this than either of us and they don't agree.

I'd provide the links but they are too embarrassing.

[rug]

12. I'm sure you did. But it would have been more relevant to google the tax code.

[edhopper]

20. I think there

is also still debate about the location of the Garden of Eden as well.

[AtheistCrusader]

13. Right wing nutjobs aren't really known for their appreciation of permits and building codes.

I look forward to the inevitable fire that is going to solve this problem once and for all.

The thread is going to be LEGENDARY