Free Republic

The cartoonification of Noah’s Ark How such ‘delightful depictions’ downplay the Deluge—and Christianity by Phil Robinson A cartoon is a drawing in an unrealistic style, usually for satire, caricature or humour, and/or to appeal to children. ‘Cartoonification’ (aka ‘cartoonization’) is a recent colloquialism for the process of making something that’s real look ‘cartoonish’. I.e. drawing it in a (usually ridiculously) oversimplified, child-friendly or ‘delightful’ manner. Unfortunately, this has happened with Noah’s Ark, marker of one of the key events in biblical history. Most depictions of it have become thoroughly cartoonized! With the Bible so clear on the size, purpose and...

That ‘ol Freedom From Religion Foundation is at it again, this time sending out letters to “every public school district in Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, West Virginia and Ohio” warning them not to undertake field trips to a Noah’s Ark theme park — Ark Encounter — because they would “violate” the First Amendment. The FFRF specifically mentions the park’s owner, Ken Ham, stating he “is free to erect monuments to his bible, but public schools are not permitted to expose the children in their charge to religious myths and proselytizing.” In response, Ham lowered the admission price for kids to $1,...

Noah's Ark replica made of 3.1 million board feet of timber Creationist theme park tries, fails to make theology scientific Many Christians don't see conflict between faith, evolution

The Ark Encounter, a full-scale, 510-foot long model of Noah's Ark, has opened to the public in Grant County, Kentucky.  It is the largest timber frame structure in the United States and the largest free-standing timber frame structure in the world. I find this fascinating in light of biblical prophecy, specifically 2 Peter 3:3-10: Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But...

A 230-foot long replica of Noah’s Ark collided with a Norwegian Coast Guard vessel as it arrived in Oslo, Norway on Friday, causing damage to both ships. Media says the wooden replica, built by a Dutch carpenter Johan Huibers after he dreamed of a flood in his home town, was being towed into Oslo harbor when it somehow lost control and crashed into the moored patrol vessel Nornen.

A Dutch-built ark plans to travel the world and stop along California's coast.Noah’s Ark will travel to San Diego, but not without making a few stops first. Beginning this summer, the massive boat will be shipped by barge 5,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean to Fortaleza, Brazil during the 2016 Olympic Games and later onto Rio de Janeiro for the Paralympic Summer Games, according to the Ark of Noah Foundation director, Herald Janssen. Shortly after the ark’s trip to Brazil, the barge will likely begin to bring Noah’s Ark to the California coast. "We cannot promise how long it...

Want to serve food or operate rides at Kentucky's new Noah's Ark attraction? Then you must first pledge your Christianity. The theme park will be searching for 300 to 400 workers to fill food service, ticketing and other theme park-related positions at the 510-foot long Ark Encounter before it opens in July. Ken Ham, founder of the ministry Answers in Genesis, says employees will be required to sign a statement saying they're Christian and 'profess Christ as their savior'.

Williamstown -- A life-size replica of Noah's Ark that is being built in Grant County is on track to open July 7, its founder said Saturday. Ken Ham, president and chief executive officer of Answers in Genesis, which is building the tourist attraction, gave a group of journalists a first peek inside the ark Saturday. The massive wooden structure is the centerpiece of a $100 million park called Ark Encounter. It is built according to the measurements given in the Bible -- 560 feet long, 85 feet wide and 51 feet high. It sits 15 feet off the ground and...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A religious group building a massive Noah's Ark tourist attraction in Kentucky has won a legal battle over the state's withdrawal of a potential tax incentive worth millions. A federal judge ruled Monday that Kentucky officials violated the ark builders' First Amendment protections by blocking it from the sales tax tourism incentive that could have been worth up to $18 million. The Ark Encounter, being built by Christian group Answers in Genesis, is due to open in July. U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove ruled the state's Tourism Cabinet cannot exclude the ark attraction from the incentive...

The Genesis Flood and Noah’s Ark. Fact or fiction? by Tas Walker Published: 27 August 2015 (GMT+10) Many doubt the biblical story of Noah’s Flood. To many the story seems a gross exaggeration or a work of fiction. And if Noah’s Flood is not believable, why trust any historical account in the Bible? People have posed many objections to a factual interpretation of this event and this article (and the articles linked to it) answers many of the key questions people have about the Flood and the Ark.

The real Noah’s Ark? by Dominic Statham Dr Irving Finkel’s new book in which he claims to have found the original Flood story. Dr Irving Finkel is an Assyriologist at the British Museum in London and an expert in ancient cuneiform scripts. In recent months he has become something of a celebrity, following the publication of his book, The Ark Before Noah: Decoding the Story of the Flood,1 and the Channel 4 documentary, The Real Noah’s Ark.2 The source of this media hype is his recent translation of a small Babylonian tablet, named the Ark Tablet. It is about the...

The remains of Noah's Ark have been found 12,000ft up a Turkish mountain, it was claimed today. A group of Chinese and Turkish evangelical explorers say carbon testing on remains found on Mount Ararat show they are 4,800 years old, around the time when the ark was said to be afloat. But the group left themselves open to a critical backlash after they failed to reveal the location of their find or produce photographs of the exterior of the site.

The developer of a Noah's Ark-based theme park in Kentucky said on Wednesday he would fight for his religious rights after state officials warned he could lose millions in potential tax credits if he hires only people who believe in the biblical flood. Ark Encounter, which is slated to open in 2016 in Williamston, Kentucky, is not hiring anyone yet, but its parent company Answers in Genesis asks employees to sign a faith statement including a belief in creationism and the flood.

A controversial plan to award $18 million in state tax incentives to a religious-themed amusement park in Grant County that plans to feature a life-size Noah's Ark could be in jeopardy because of potential hiring discrimination. In a series of letters with Ark Encounter LLC, Kentucky's top tourism official said the preliminary tax credits are stalled because of language in the park's job application that requires "salvation testimony" and a "Creation belief statement." In July, the Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority gave preliminary approval to the incentive package, which allows a 25 percent sales tax rebate on state tourism sites....

The Kentucky Tourism Arts and Heritage Cabinet has suspended an incentive agreement worth up to $18 million with a Noah’s Ark-themed attraction in Grant County because the park transferred its main property to a non-profit affiliate. The July 18 cabinet letter to Ark Encounter attorney James Parsons said the ark park’s recent actions put it in breach of the agreement with the state to refund a portion of sales tax collected at the site, which opened last July with a large-scale replica of Noah’s Ark.

Ken Ham, president of the Answers in Genesis Christian ministry that built the $100 million Ark Encounter biblical theme park in Williamstown, Kentucky, riled LGBT advocates Tuesday when he announced that they will be reclaiming the rainbow for God with permanent rainbow lights for their life-sized Noah's Ark replica. "We now have new permanent rainbow lights at the Ark Encounter so all can see that it is God's rainbow and He determines its meaning in Genesis 6," Ham said in a statement on Facebook. "The rainbow is a reminder God will never again judge the wickedness of man with a...

I’ve posted before about how Williamstown (Kentucky) officials are instituting a “safety fee” for ticket-taking attractions in the city. If implemented, the city would charge Ark Encounter 50 cents per ticket to go towards things like fire trucks and police cars — all the things that make the city a safer place for residents and tourists. Using the estimate of 1.4 million visitors a year, this would amount to approximately $700,000 that Ark Encounter would owe the city annually. The Creationists at Ark Encounter, however, say they should be exempt from that charge because they run a non-profit ministry. You...

Williamstown - Shem’s Snack Shack sits about a mile away from the Ark Encounter on a road that turns into Williamstown’s Main Street. In case you missed the reference to Shem, Noah’s son, it’s also the “Home of the Ark Dog” — two-thirds of a Biblical cubit long — and has swirly blue linoleum floors meant to mimic the ocean and a camel mascot named Humphrey, who declares that the gourmet hot dogs are flooded with flavor. The snack shack is owned by Charleston, W.Va., doctor Brian Plants, a longtime donor to the Answers in Genesis ministry of Australian Ken...

The president and founder of Kentucky’s Creation Museum in Petersburg and the Ark Encounter in Williamstown has been dropped as a speaker at the University of Central Oklahoma after a LGBT group objected. Ken Ham, president of Answers in Genesis, had been scheduled to speak March 5 at the public university in Edmond, Okla. Stockton Duvall, student body president at the university, took responsibility for the decision to rescind Ham’s invitation after learning of the opposition to his visit. Duvall told The Oklahoman newspaper that a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning group opposed Ham’s visit because of his view...

Between 120 and 200 people gathered outside the Ark Encounter on July 7 to protest on the attraction’s second anniversary. Organized by the Tri-State Freethinkers, co-founder Jim G. Helton said he was happy with the turnout — more than double than last year’s protest. “The Ark Encounter has become a symbol of what’s wrong in Kentucky with the war on separation of church and state,” Helton said. “And when equality is under attack, atheists show up.” Several speakers took the stage to kick off the protest, then the group marched up the sidewalk to the entrance of the Ark. Helton...