Creationist group sues Kentucky over $18 million in tax rebates for Noah’s Ark theme park

e creationist ministry Answers in Genesis announced Tuesday that it would file a lawsuit against the state of Kentucky over tax rebate benefits for its Noah’s Ark-based theme park.

In a YouTube video, Answers in Genesis president Ken Ham accused Kentucky of religious discrimination.

Lawyer Mike Johnson, who also appeared in the video, agreed. “Religious groups, ideas, and organizations can’t be treated with hostility by the government, and in effect that’s what we have here,” he said.

In December, Kentucky withdrew tax rebates for the Ark Encounter park in Williamston, Kentucky, that were potentially worth more than $18 million.

Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet Secretary Bob Stewart said the project had transformed from a tourist attraction to an “extension of AIG’s ministry.” Answers in Genesis had refused to pledge not to discriminate against non-Christians in hiring.

Stewart explained in his letter that it was “a violation of the Constitution for the Commonwealth’s incentives to be used to advance religion.”

Answers in Genesis accused state officials of bowing to pressure from “secularist organizations,” and Ham said his ministry had no choice but to file a lawsuit.
www.rawstory.com...

Ok so the state don't want to fund your goofy theme park, I am sure there are things that need attention like I donno bridges,roads you know stuff that create employment.

a reply to: Spider879

why does ken ham need a tax rebate ??? : as a absolute biblical literalist - he should just pray for what he wants [ as per the bible he insists is innerant ]

a reply to: Spider879

I agree. If anything they should be sued for ever giving a rebate to Ham in the first place. As if anyone doesn't already know who Ken Ham is and what kind of crazy park it was going to be.

BTW, his other Creationist Museum, if you can even call it a museum, is going bankrupt as we speak. The last thing the people of that state need is another Creationists money pit sucking up their money.

Because the bible is srirs bizniz, The park will shelter christians for armageddon. They need that tax rebate to build the bunker and survive like noah's ark but under the noah ark muesem and they need to buy some cross shaped spot lights Like a bat signal but to bring everyone into the ark they are secretly building with all the extra profit they gain from charging people for going even tho it was paid for by the state for a while but when the state decides to cut them off it puts a damper on their bombshelter job creation without that money many christians in kentucky won't survive the apocolypse.

I homehow wish that's how this court case will go lol.

I say give him the rebates if he builds that life sized ark. Conditions to be met? Yes. It must be built on water.

It's a Theme Park, a business, so rightfully has to pay taxes whether the owner and his lawyer think so or not.

The cry will always be "discrimination", but as a business they must pay, same as any other business - the exceptions of course being the mega corporations who have teams of rich lawyers, paid off politicians and bank accounts in every tax haven out there!

It bewilders me why churches still get tax rebates.
They are businesses just like the wacky theme park Ham wants.
You can bet If we did tax them the charlatans they call priests would move on to another scam.

Sorry, Ken your tax break ship has sailed.

So I heard your "deep" in debt.

I hope he didn't "sink" too much of his own money into this.

I heard he is barely keeping his so-called museum "afloat".


Oh man, there has to be more....lol

My bet is that some atheists will be blamed when he burns his place down for the insurance.

a reply to: Spider879

Why is it a "goofy" theme park? Because Noah's Ark is a story in the Bible? What a ridiculous and childish stance to take.

I can see already that this thread is more akin to a members only club of people who hate and mock Christians in every form, and defame anyone who is a part of that.

My statements have only to do with your pathetic and immoral attitude which is only flinging hatred. I thought you people were against hating others? Oh, that's right I forgot, that's only when it one of the approved items that are propagated by way of the liberal media and all the groupie think-a-likes?

OR is it because when someone who isn't on that approved list wants a tax rebate, it's tapping into things that might take away funding from one of those approved topics so in come the troops to mock, rubbish, defame, and bash and troll? Because you already "Know" that anything that has to do with Christ has no merit at all right?

I'm not judging you, I'm just trying to understand how your following this road you are on is going to deliver you to some sanctuary. How do you stand to profit from trying to "educate" readers of this thread to believe the way you believe? What will be the pay off for you in the end?

It might be that this guy is scamming the government and doesn't even follow the rules of true Christianity just to gain something, and "SUING" people is definitely NOT a Christian thing to do. But if this is the case, then he should be exposed that way, not by you trying to mock Christian themes by themselves just because you think the entire thing is silly.

When you do it the way you are doing it looks like one Borg unit mewling for the sake of the "collective"

That is what looks truly silly.

a reply to: boymonkey74

He wasn't playing the Church angle for taxes with the Ark Park he was playing the state or historical angle for tax breaks and it was revoked because they had hiring practices that discriminated against non-Christians. He was using the states dime to further his religion which violates the constitution both federal and state.

a reply to: NoCorruptionAllowed

It is goofy and plainly a lie.
His science is not science and he attempts to pass it off as science.
It is actually very dishonest of him to attempt to teach kids this BS because he is wrong.
Dinosaurs with humans lol you really want BS like this taught to kids?.
Sure have a christian theme park but do not lie and say it is scientific.

originally posted by: boymonkey74
a reply to: NoCorruptionAllowed

It is goofy and plainly a lie.
His science is not science and he attempts to pass it off as science.
It is actually very dishonest of him to attempt to teach kids this BS because he is wrong.
Dinosaurs with humans lol you really want BS like this taught to kids?.
Sure have a christian theme park but do not lie and say it is scientific.

I wasn't aware that "science" has to approve of every project this planet comes up with, but to answer your question, I wouldn't pick his theme parks for my own kids to visit, but that's not really the point. The point is him having merit or not to be suing the government, and if he doesn't, then he is wrong, but the veracity of his beliefs and what his parks show people isn't really the point. People grow up and learn and will intuitively know if what he's selling is rubbish and made for his false gain or not. His own ways will expose what he truly represents in the end.

PS, I got a good laugh from reading when you said he will probably blame it on atheist's when he torches his own church for the insurance. LOL

Got to love first world problems ....

why on earth would people worry about starving children when we have this awesomeness to worry about

a reply to: NoCorruptionAllowed

You crystallized my thoughts on this thread. What a great post!

a reply to: Spider879

Ok so the state don't want to fund your goofy theme park, I am sure there are things that need attention like I donno bridges,roads you know stuff that create employment.

It depends what agreements the state entered into with AIG before production began. It is still a tourist attraction and tax revenue subsidiary of the state of Kentucky.

originally posted by: WakeUpBeer
I say give him the rebates if he builds that life sized ark. Conditions to be met? Yes. It must be built on water.

WITHOUT a barge underneath to support it like all current ark models have.

a reply to: Grimpachi

Either way, it sounds like he's in a "boat load" of financial trouble.

This whole idea needs to "walk the plank."

He obviously should "naut" continue pursuing this dream.

I mean, how could he overcome the "tidal wave" of support against giving a religious institution who only wants to hire Creationists such a tax break?

His whole empire seems like it's "up sh#t creek without a paddle."

If only he knew someone who could walk on water to save him from drowning in debt...

originally posted by: Krazysh0t

originally posted by: WakeUpBeer
I say give him the rebates if he builds that life sized ark. Conditions to be met? Yes. It must be built on water.

WITHOUT a barge underneath to support it like all current ark models have.

I don't see how it would be a problem, the Chinese built longer wooden ships than the ark.

a reply to: NOTurTypical

Care to back that up?.