Posted on 08/06/2018 11:41:58 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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 said nearly a dozen groups, both national and local organizations, endorsed the event, including Planned Parenthood, Secular Coalition for America and American Atheists.
According to the event’s Facebook Page, some of the reasons for protesting included discriminatory hiring practices, anti-science teachings and receiving tax incentives from the state.
During the event, Helton said protestors and Ark Encounter employees and visitors had friendly dialogue, conversations and debates about their differing beliefs.
“We easily answered their questions on science and morality,” Helton said.
Helton said Klu Klux Klan members posted they were going to show up to the protest with guns, but the threats were removed online and no one from the KKK showed up during the event.
“The Ark Encounter sincerely welcomes atheists and other humanists to tour the Ark and be exposed to our teachings,” said Mark Looy, AiG chief communications officer. “Our welcome extends to guests who are very anti-Christian in their thinking. As long as they are not disruptive, atheists and secularists are encouraged to visit and discover what we actually believe, which is largely censored from society — especially in almost all public schools in America. We hope many of July 7th’s demonstrators came inside and learned what we truly teach. For example, the leader of the protesters told Channel 9 TV that we believe the Grand Canyon formed in 40 days, but if he had taken the time to read our exhibits for himself, he would have known not to make such a false statement like that.”
Looy said Ark officials acknowledge the protestors have a right to peacefully assemble.
“This group was largely peaceful, with some minor exceptions,” Looy said. “We point out that while 120 people demonstrated outside the Ark on July 7, over 6,000 visitors walked through the ship, and over 6,000 turned out the day before. Meanwhile, over 2,000 people visited our sister attraction, the Creation Museum, in Petersburg on July 7. That’s over 8,000 people at our attractions in one day.”
I’d think A/C as a dehumidifier might be kind of useful if you’re on a wooden ship full of animals and it’s raining outside for forty days and forty nights. Seems kind of practical, really.
Of course, on a ship of such size the real question would be where’s the Lido Deck and the buffet?
Good to hear that.
I guess i received some misinformation.
I was on a 400ft ship for 3 years, it seems large at first.
I know that. That is why Battleships float.
I guess what I'm talking about is that Ark replica made of wood and "if" a giant tsunami were to hit it would it float off it's moorings.
Besides the mention of “tax incentives” the article gives no tangible idea of why they think there is a legal problem. Wish they would spell out the case.
Sheldon Mom:
You believe that jibber jabber yet you dispute the animals in the ark
Sheldon
Silly - What would they feed the Tigers?
Mom
The bodies of the sinners laying dead in the water.
LATER Mom refers to Sheldon as Tiger Meal...
FUNNY how ‘these types’ will mock and protest anything in the Bible and call it fantasy YET, if ‘we’ build something from the Bible ‘they’ call it religious.
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The Ark floated because hot water was shooting up out of the ground from “the fountains of the great deep.”
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The “case” is that they hate the truth being purveyed to the masses.
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What you think this is, The Animal Princess?
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“Free thinkers” protesting others thinking freely. About par for Satan’s folks these days.
“What you think this is, The Animal Princess?”
(-:
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