Creationists Lobbying For Taxpayer Funds To Pay For 'Historically Themed' Noah's Ark Park

Ken Ham's name might sound familiar -- he recently appeared with Bill Nye "the Science Guy" to debate evolution and creationism. He's a man with a mission, having successfully built the Creation Museum in Kentucky, a state with a high proportion of Southern Baptists and Evangelicals.

Now, Ham is desperately trying to convince the State of Kentucky to approve his request to use taxpayer money to fund his latest escapade -- a Noah's Ark museum and park called Ark Encounter. The bill for the Taxpayers of the Bluegrass State would come to about $73 million. But Ham has convinced the powers that be -- yes, the governor supports the project -- that it would pay for itself with the additional tax revenue it would generate.

The project would be funded by the Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority, which meets tomorrow to vote on the plan. Ham already got the state to approve $173 million in state funding three years ago but withdrew his request when he was having funding challenges on his side.

Mike Zovath, Ark Encounter's project coordinator says they "expect" to get funding approval from the state "because the project fits all the criteria for the tourism act."

Apparently, historical accuracy isn't one of the criteria, although Ham insists the ark will be 510 feet long, supposedly exactly as described in the Bible -- making it the "largest timber-frame structure in the USA."

"Answers in Genesis embraces a literal interpretation of the book of Genesis and a belief that the Earth is only 6,000 years old — a view that runs counter to science," the Courier-Journal reports. "As a result, the Noah's Ark theme park has drawn criticism that the state incentives, as well as a $10.25 million project put into the state road construction plan to improve the state road between I-75 and the park, violate the constitutional requirement of separation of church and state."

Hobby Lobby’s Newest Crusade: To Build A Bible Museum Near The National Mall

Not content with a Supreme Court decision that has the potential to set back LGBT progress for years, the family behind the Hobby Lobby store chain have a new project in mind. They’d like to build a giant museum dedicated to the Bible just two blocks from the National Mall in D.C., where such venerable institutions as the Smithsonian and National Gallery of Art reside.

Needless to say, this won’t be just any old tribute to religion. It will be a monument to a particular interpretation of the Bible. Steve Green, the president of Hobby Lobby, has called the Bible “a reliable historical document,” and, in connection with the museum, plans a curriculum to “reintroduce this book to this nation.”

You don’t have to read between the lines there. Given the Green family’s political activism and ties to the Christian right, the emphasis isn’t going to be on feeding and clothing the poor. “This nation is in danger because of its ignorance of what God has taught,” Green has said. “There are lessons from the past that we can learn from, the dangers of ignorance of this book. We need to know it. If we don’t know it, our future is going to be very scary.”

Between the Supreme Court decision and the museum, we’d agree.

Moreover, the choice of D.C. as the location of the 400,00 square-foot museum gives the Greens a permanent base from which to target legislation. The museum is going to cost $800 million, and the Greens are going to want something to show for their investment. “My instincts would tell me that they are choosing Washington, D.C., because they intend to influence Congress,” said Annie Laurie Gaylor, a co-president of Freedom From Religion Foundation. 

So if you think the Supreme Court decision was a singular event, think again. It looks like the Hobby Lobby family are only just getting started.