http://www.patheos.com/blogs/danthropology/2014/12/ken-hams-ark-encounter-loses-tax-incentive/
QuoteIt looks like we sunk the ship!
According to the Courier-Journal the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet has said the theme park has evolved into a ministry that seeks to advance religion and is discriminating against employees.
“State tourism tax incentives cannot be used to fund religious indoctrination or otherwise be used to advance religion,†Tourism Secretary Bob Stewart wrote in the letter. “The use of state incentives in this way violates the separation of church and state provisions of the Constitution and is therefore impermissible.â€
The organization denied any wrongdoing however, a stance hard to defend when the Ark Encounters own website says,
“The purpose of the Ark Encounter is to point people to the only means of salvation from sin, the Lord Jesus Christ, who also is the only God-appointed way to escape eternal destruction.â€
Even the Governor of Kentucky who fully supported the project, and still hopes to see it completed realized it was a violation of federal laws to allow the tax incentives to go forward, saying:
“While the leaders of the Ark Encounter had previously agreed not to discriminate in hiring based on religion, they now refuse to make that commitment and it has become apparent that they do intend to use religious beliefs as a litmus test for hiring decisions.â€
American United for the Separation of Church and State is welcoming this decision as well,
“This project was never a good candidate for public funding,†said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “Its purpose is to promote fundamentalist Christianity, and it should be funded with private contributions from believers.â€
AU played a major role in leading the state to this decision in which they issued a letter to the Governor earlier this year requesting the tax incentives be reviewed.
Ham has said countless times that breaking ground and finishing this project was going to rely on receiving this 18 million dollar tax incentive, and now it is lost.
Answers in Genesis, who is pouring money into an ad campaign claiming his ship cannot be sunk may soon be eating their words unless they can drum up donors and investors to come up with the much needed money to finish his park. Something they have been unable to do up to this point.
This is a massive win for the separation of church and state and for secularism!
So now we get to see the Hamster pleading with the xtian fundies to pony up the money to complete his dream boat. Five years from now, there will be a rusting steel superstructure standing sadly amidst the weeds as a testimony to Ken Ham's heavenly dream.
:rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :super: :super: :super:
Finally, a bit of good news in the "culture wars".
About time this huckster stopped getting government funding.
Taxes designated to promote tourism given to a religious organization for the purpose of spreading it's ideology? Sure. Whatever! God Bless Murika.
Doesn't the steel superstructure conflict with historical accuracy?
The real reason is it just hasn't rained quite enough in Kentucky yet. Now if the Ohio river were to flood of true biblical proportions and swell to the depths of... Ohhh..let's just say the middle of the Pacific ocean I could see perhaps tax payers footing the bill and we could all be saved by an ark that obviously is designed to save human life from the wrath of GOD! :lol:
Quote from: SGOS on December 11, 2014, 12:28:53 PM
Taxes designated to promote tourism given to a religious organization for the purpose of spreading it's ideology? Sure. Whatever! God Bless Murika.
Which is darkly humorous as this is a secular state essentially bankrolling its own theocratic archenemies.
(http://i.imgur.com/AIDMcPl.jpg)
Stop persecuting us! And fork over your money and your desks, while you're at it!
The even darker humor is the churches pay ZERO in taxes and are for the most part very anti tax and yet need 18000000 in TAX money to build an ark in a state that doesn't even have a port..
Quote from: AllPurposeAtheist on December 11, 2014, 01:06:56 PM
The even darker humor is the churches pay ZERO in taxes and are for the most part very anti tax and yet need 18000000 in TAX money to build an ark in a state that doesn't even have a port..
+1 - yep!
Quote from: stromboli on December 11, 2014, 12:16:13 PM
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/danthropology/2014/12/ken-hams-ark-encounter-loses-tax-incentive/
So now we get to see the Hamster pleading with the xtian fundies to pony up the money to complete his dream boat. Five years from now, there will be a rusting steel superstructure standing sadly amidst the weeds as a testimony to Ken Ham's heavenly dream.
:rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :super: :super: :super:
Funny how he wound up building, or trying to build, this ark in the US and not his native Australia! We're not quite as gung-ho for his god, so his success would be even more limited. I'm very glad to hear that he's having money troubles with this project. If there were ever a ship in need of sinking, this is the one! Next he'll be appealing to animal welfare charities to fund his make-believe boat that is responsible for saving every animal we have today!
Quote from: SGOS on December 11, 2014, 12:30:42 PM
Doesn't the steel superstructure conflict with historical accuracy?
No, I don't think so. There's no actual history here to begin with.
God could have asked Noah to use steel if he wanted to. Nothing is impossible with God.....
Gerard
Quote from: Gerard on December 11, 2014, 03:56:38 PM
No, I don't think so. There's no actual history here to begin with.
God could have asked Noah to use steel if he wanted to. Nothing is impossible with God.....
Gerard
Steel grew on trees back in bible times, but let's be clear here..not iron because of the issues god has with those iron wheeled chariots which later was converted into kryptonite.
Ok! Dumb atheists, how do you explain this: (http://i.imgur.com/CD0K9b9.jpg)
Quote from: Solitary on December 11, 2014, 04:25:12 PM
Ok! Dumb atheists, how do you explain this: (http://i.imgur.com/CD0K9b9.jpg)
It's a boat?
Gerard
Quote from: SGOS on December 11, 2014, 12:30:42 PM
Doesn't the steel superstructure conflict with historical accuracy?
Everything about this turkey conflicts with Biblical descriptions.
(http://www.noahtherealstory.com/uploads/2/6/5/4/26542466/1942123_orig.jpg)
Apparently Gopher Wood is weldable........
Quote from: stromboli on December 11, 2014, 06:13:13 PM
Everything about this turkey conflicts with Biblical descriptions.
(http://www.noahtherealstory.com/uploads/2/6/5/4/26542466/1942123_orig.jpg)
Apparently Gopher Wood is weldable........
Must be some local name for ironwood.
They should sell the scrapped project and turn it into a zoo. Get it away from Answers in Genesis and into government's hands or whatever. This project should be without a religious bias, but it would please both Christians and Atheists. Christians because it's a zoo in a freaking arc. And atheists because it clearly shows how impossible it is to take care of an entire arc full of animals without a giant crew of well-trained and -educated professionals. And it would also show that not nearly as many creatures as one might think would fit on the boat should they all get enough living space.
Just spinning some ideas here.
It could very well be weldable.... We haven't got the fogiest idea what gopher-wood is anyway.... Could it be made from gophers?
(http://repellex.com/media/wysiwyg/Gopher.JPG)
Gerard
God created gophers. If he wanted them to be weldable he could have bloody well taken care of that if he wanted.... He's Almighty for C's sake!
Gerard
Quote from: Mr.Obvious on December 11, 2014, 06:32:00 PM
They should sell the scrapped project and turn it into a zoo. Get it away from Answers in Genesis and into government's hands or whatever. This project should be without a religious bias, but it would please both Christians and Atheists. Christians because it's a zoo in a freaking arc. And atheists because it clearly shows how impossible it is to take care of an entire arc full of animals without a giant crew of well-trained and -educated professionals. And it would also show that not nearly as many creatures as one might think would fit on the boat should they all get enough living space.
Just spinning some ideas here.
Good idea. That would include gophers wouldn't it. I do think is should be a floating zoo.
Gerard
Floating zoo?
Make sure to find this guy for me ok?
He looks like this: :fsm:
A few years ago there was this Dutchman (I'm from the Netherlands myself) who built a replica of Noah's arc one fifth of the biblical proportions. He wanted to float that around the country to basically make propaganda for his faith. It depended on a pontoon to get around Holland's waterways. I've seen it after he sold it to another Christian organization when it visited a canal near my home. Perfectly nice guy by the way.... He has since undertaken to build a replica of actual biblical size! I can assure you that no gopher wood was involved....
Gerard
Quote from: dtq123 on December 11, 2014, 06:50:01 PM
Floating zoo?
Make sure to find this guy for me ok?
He looks like this: :fsm:
A boat with animals on it? That would be fun for the public.... Not too sure about the animals though.
How is the FSM a zoo? He's made of spaghetti and meatballs..... Not of living animals encased in gopherwood!
Gerard
Quote from: Gerard on December 11, 2014, 06:35:38 PM
It could very well be weldable.... We haven't got the fogiest idea what gopher-wood is anyway.... Could it be made from gophers?
(http://repellex.com/media/wysiwyg/Gopher.JPG)
Gerard
You don't get it?
"Noah, this is God."
"Yeah...right."
"No, seriously, I want you to build an ark."
"How do I do that?"
"First, gopher wood. When you have enough call me back."
Quote from: Gawdzilla Sama on December 11, 2014, 07:40:27 PM
You don't get it?
"Noah, this is God."
"Yeah...right."
"No, seriously, I want you to build an ark."
"How do I do that?"
"First, gopher wood. When you have enough call me back."
(https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTLmXmwFfd1GsTT5pmbnUsHjfYXzGIocRSCzjXmf0plr3elZY3h)
Quote from: Solitary on December 11, 2014, 04:25:12 PM
Ok! Dumb atheists, how do you explain this: (http://i.imgur.com/CD0K9b9.jpg)
Clearly the camera was one of god's creatures and someone found its skeleton and remade it into the devices we see today. :lol:
Quote from: Solitary on December 11, 2014, 04:25:12 PM
Ok! Dumb atheists, how do you explain this: (http://i.imgur.com/CD0K9b9.jpg)
Built on a steel barge.
Logic prevails.
I love the part where he could not get the tax exempt for it for that much, yet despite it being said religous organisations would have to drum up millions to make it work, its obvious the church isn't going to give it. Ham was okay with using public money to spread his bullshit, but without it he has nothing to support it, especially his own church.
Quote from: Munch on December 11, 2014, 08:50:11 PM
Logic prevails.
I love the part where he could not get the tax exempt for it for that much, yet despite it being said religous organisations would have to drum up millions to make it work, its obvious the church isn't going to give it. Ham was okay with using public money to spread his bullshit, but without it he has nothing to support it, especially his own church.
If this thing goes belly up and the site is abandoned, I think it would become a good place to hold an atheist pilgrimage to. Imagine a forest of rubber animal toys and people dressed up as Furries showing up with suitcases. Could be a blast. :biggrin:
Quote from: stromboli on December 11, 2014, 09:52:31 PM
If this thing goes belly up and the site is abandoned, I think it would become a good place to hold an atheist pilgrimage to. Imagine a forest of rubber animal toys and people dressed up as Furries showing up with suitcases. Could be a blast. :biggrin:
Problem is the site is on the northeast side (IIRC) of the parking lot for the Answers In Genesis "museum". I'm sure the Legions of Allah, or whoever Ham worships, would cause a problem for that.
Quote from: stromboli on December 11, 2014, 09:52:31 PM
If this thing goes belly up and the site is abandoned, I think it would become a good place to hold an atheist pilgrimage to. Imagine a forest of rubber animal toys and people dressed up as Furries showing up with suitcases. Could be a blast. :biggrin:
They'll call the Briar National Guard on you.. Kentuckians are commonly called briars in Ohio.. :lol:
So glad I don't live in KY anymore. How the hell I got out of there with out being a creationist is beyond me. Glad Ken Hamm and his cronies don't get the tax exemption.
I grew up with mostly people from Kentucky. Dayton is often referred to as Little Kentucky..