Have you heard of the Ark Encounter?
Asked by
JLeslie (
65417
)
April 8th, 2022
from iPhone
Ark as in Noah’s Ark.
Here’s a link https://arkencounter.com/things-to-do/
I have conservative Facebook friends posting that they would much rather spend their money at the ark than at Disney.
I guess they are upset Disney spoke out about the “don’t say gay” bill in Florida. The bill is called that by Democrats not Republicans.
This Q is NOT about the bill, I’m going to do a separate Q about that, this Q is asking what you think about the Ark Experience. Additionally, in this article https://lethbridgenewsnow.com/2020/07/15/the-ark-of-williamstown-kentucky/ it discusses who owns the ark experience, and I’m interested in your opinions on how it was funded and built. It is the brainchild of an Australian man, and there were tax incentives given. The article says only people who believe in creationism were allowed to work on the project.
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19 Answers
I’ve heard of it but have never gone. Always thought it would be interesting just to see the size of the Ark.
I went to the Ark Encounter in 2019. It was pretty interesting to see how they explained how they packed all those animals in the Ark and demonstrated how it was possible to do all of that.
It took an entire day just to go through the Ark and we didn’t have time to zip line like we had planned.
I can’t see comparing it to Disney, though. Apples and oranges.
@chyna @seawulf575 Did you make a specific trip just to see it, or was it on the way somewhere else and you made it one of your stops?
Does it bother you that they received tax incentives, but would only employ people who were creationists?
We made a special trip to take family members to see it. It’s about 2½ hours from my house.
The tax incentives doesn’t bother me, nor does it bother me that they hired only creationists. Of course people could lie and say they are just to get a job. But I feel they wanted people working that were just as excited about recreating a biblical happening as the people who came up with the idea.
Can you imagine working on Noah’s Ark beside someone that kept mumbling “this is all such bullshit”.
Back to the tax incentives. Look at the rich and the tax incentives they receive. I heard trump paid something like 700.00 one year.
So I don’t begrudge incentives for religious based places.
@chyna I completely agree that there are all sorts of tax incentives and loopholes that need to be questioned. It’s the religion and state thing that irks me. What if we give tax incentives to Buddhist Temples or Muslim Theme Parks? I don’t think it’s a good idea for America. I’m all for allowing those things to be built, but I don’t think the state should help fund it, especially if the jobs are not open to all. I’m pretty sure when religious charities receive government funds they can’t discriminate regarding religion to who it helps. I could be naive or wrong about that though.
No, but I have heard of Ark: Survival Evolved.
Stranded on the shores of a mysterious island, you must learn to survive. Use your cunning to kill or tame the primeval creatures roaming the land, and encounter other players to survive, dominate… and escape!
Available on Steam for only 25€!
I heard of a creationism museum. This may be the same place. Some day, when all the creationists die out, the museum will serve as a showcase for what people used to believe.
I think a much bigger issue is that churches and other houses of worship pay no taxes. That’s more the question to me than support for the Ark.
If I would pass it, while oot and aboot, I would go “wow, look at that big ass boat!”.
I wouldn’t visit it, if it would cost me money, or if I were on my way to something.
Or we’ll, maybe I would, out of a “how did they construct that thing” interest.
I am a Christian, and I would rather shovel my money into Disney’s pockets, but not in Disneyworld.
Fuck Florida.
There was an article in a national magazine a few years ago, about the Ark Encounter. Maybe The New Yorker? I’ll search for it later.
Some people in my town can say, “Been there, done that and I got a T-shirt”. I’ve seen them walking in stores with the T-shirt.
This is brought to you by young earth creationist science deniers. Namely Ken Ham who holds these three tenants according to Wikipedia:
1. That teaching of evolution is an evil causing damage to society
2.That the first eleven chapters of the Book of Genesis give a precise description of the process of creation of the universe and provide direct instruction on the organization of society
3. That proper Christians must engage in a total conflict battling against atheistic humanism
They will never see one penny from me.
I have heard of it and have pondered the bon fire it would make!
@JLeslie As I said, I haven’t gone but always thought it could be interesting. Does it bother me that they got tax incentives? Not at all. They created a business that employed many people and brought a lot of tourist dollars to the area. After all, isn’t that what tax incentives are for…to help entice businesses to open in a given area so that area can benefit?
Does it bother me that they employed only creationists? Not really. You have a Christian Bible-based attraction. Having people that believe in the Bible would actually make sense. Imagine if you will, an atheist trying to explain how the Ark came to be. Think it would be convincing? Or would it come off sounding cynical at best? Think of it as hiring actors and actresses for a movie script. Does it bother you that they hire only a woman to play Queen Elizabeth? Does it bother you that they hired only black people to be the main characters in Roots? Would it bother you if a man played to staring role in a movie about Ruth Bader Ginsburg? There are somethings that just seem to make more sense than identity politics.
@seawulf575 Building something is different than being a docent or actor there. Did the man who sold me a Porsche own one? Nope. Do the actors at Colonial Williamsburg actually live in the manner and circumstance they portray? Nope. Can all the cast members at Disney afford a Disney vacation? No. Can the man who nailed the roof to my house afford to buy my house? No.
I do think it makes sense for the docents working there to believe in the basic message of the museum though, not only because the owner prefers it, but also because the employee themselves would feel good about what they are selling. On the other hand, to build it, I don’t think it matters. I can see @chyna’s point that someone might mutter under their breath they don’t agree with the premise of the place, but hopefully employees would be smart enough not to do it. The owners can fire the person if they have a bad attitude, it’s an at-will state.
Tax incentives to religious organizations are like giving money to religion and the preaching of their doctrine. The tax break churches get is questionable in my mind, ESPECIALLY since so many of them break the rules about not preaching politics.
^Tax incentives and tax breaks given to rich people is like giving money to the already rich who do not need it.
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