Tony Perkins On The Ark Encounter

"At a new Kentucky theme park, Christians are the ones getting taken for a ride. Construction is already underway in Williamstown for a one-of-a-kind tourist attraction by our friends at Answers in Genesis (AiG). The organization behind the Creation Museum is working on a built-to-scale Ark Encounter -- but so far, all they've encountered is intolerance. The state had given AiG the thumbs up on its application last fall, which triggered some outcry from anti-faith groups. Almost immediately, they swooped into Kentucky and started making noise about the rebate, demanding that it be retracted. Why? Because AiG dares to hire people who share their beliefs on creation. And as a religious organization, that's entirely within both state and federal law. Do we force animal rights groups to hire hunters? No. Or Muslim groceries to hire pig farmers? Of course not. So why is Ham's group being targeted? Constitutional questions aside, with as many as 700,000 people expected at the Ark each year, the benefits for Kentucky far outweigh any perceived slights in hiring policy." - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, via email.

KENTUCKY: Creationists To Sue State For Noah's Ark Theme Park Tax Breaks

As many of you know, Answers In Genesis, the operators of Kentucky's Creation Museum, are building a new theme park centered around a "life-size recreation of Noah's Ark." To get a job there, you must attest that you absolutely totally believe that God drowned everybody in the world because he loved them so much. In December 2014 the state of Kentucky told them, "No, you can't have $18M in public tax rebate money. You won't let non-Christians work there. Duh!"

Today Answers In Genesis announced that they are suing Kentucky to get the money.

Although the program is available to all qualifying tourist attractions seeking to build in the state, AiG’s application was rejected solely because of the religious identity and message of AiG. The lawsuit explains how this action by Kentucky officials, including Gov. Steve Beshear, violates federal and state law and amounts to unlawful viewpoint discrimination. “Our organization spent many months attempting to reason with state officials so that this lawsuit would not be necessary,” said AiG President Ken Ham. “However, the state was so insistent on treating our religious entity as a second-class citizen that we were simply left with no alternative but to proceed to court. This is the latest example of increasing government hostility towards religion in America, and it’s certainly among the most blatant.”

And since Ken Ham loves to be on camera, he's made a video explaining how he totally deserves $18M in public money.

Ken Ham: Intolerant Liberals Won't Let Public Pay For My Noah's Ark Park

Creationists Plan Times Square Message

Via World Net Daily:

When the famous ball drops on New Year’s Eve in New York City’s Times Square, a message will be there to remind “our intolerant liberal friends” about the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment. Answers in Genesis, the Christian ministry best known for operating the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky, announced it is purchasing a recurring, 15-second spot on a video billboard at 46th and Broadway to publicly “thank God for freedom.” “The :15 digital board will remind Americans of the religious freedoms they enjoy – whether they hold to the worldviews of Christianity, atheism, Judaism [or] other belief systems – and must be defended,” the ministry stated. “In addition, the Cross of Christ will be prominently displayed.” The 15-second ad states, “To all our intolerant liberal friends: Thank God for freedom. Brought to you by AnswersInGenesis.org and the First Amendment.”

Answers In Genesis says the billboard is their response to "attacks" on the Ark Encounter, which was just denied $18M in tax breaks because job applicants must stipulate that they believe God drowned everybody in the world because he loved them so fucking much. The billboard is expected to get three million in-person impressions in Times Square during its run and "potentially many millions more" should it appear during tomorrow night's telecasts of the ball drop.

Ark Encounter: Kentucky Is Discriminating Against Us For Our Discriminatory Hiring

Earlier this month the state of Kentucky announced that it will be denying $18M in tax incentives to the Ark Encounter because its employment application stipulates that prospective staffers must be fundamentalist Christians. Today Answers In Genesis, the creationist parent organization of the Ark Encounter, claims that their religious freedom to discriminate is being discriminated against.

In addition to refuting the myth that tax dollars will be used to build our life-size Noah’s Ark in Williamstown, Kentucky, Answers in Genesis has had to spend considerable effort rebutting another myth: that it is illegal for the Ark Encounter to hire only people who can sign its statement of faith. Yet the state, in its letter to AiG last week (and simultaneously leaked to the press), is illegally denying the Ark the opportunity to benefit from the Tourism Development Act (TDA) due to hiring issues. Kentucky is demanding that AiG check its religious freedoms at the door if it is to receive TDA benefits.

It is interesting to note that the state and activist secular groups can point to no specific law or statute that would deny a religious organization like AiG or Ark Encounter the right to hire staff members who agree with its mission. Indeed, why should we give in to the state’s demand and give up our rights to hire people of faith? Nobody seems to want to force the group American Atheists to hire Christians (and we do not advocate it).

The demand by the state to have the Ark Encounter surrender the hiring rights it has under state and federal law in order to benefit from the TDA—otherwise made available to all other qualifying parties—imposes a huge burden on the Ark Encounter’s freedom of religion and smacks of overt religious discrimination. We have assured state officials many times that the Ark Encounter will follow all applicable federal and state laws in operating our theme park, and the state has no basis to demand otherwise.

Have American Atheists requested $18M in tax breaks to build a for-profit amusement park?

KENTUCKY: State Warns Noah's Ark Park About Discriminatory Hiring Practices

As I reported here recently, the Noah's Ark theme park being constructed by Ken Ham's Answers In Genesis requires job applicants to sign a pledge that they believe God drowned everybody in the world because he loved them so fucking much. This week the state of Kentucky warned Ham's group that they may not get the demanded $18M in tax breaks if they refuse to hire non-Christians or Christians that simply do not believe in the so-called biblical flood.

State officials and Ark Encounter lawyers have exchanged letters in which the state threatened not to proceed with tax incentives for the park if there was discriminatory hiring practices, a state official confirmed on Wednesday. The letters between the parties came to light after the Louisville Courier-Journal and the Lexington Herald-Leader obtained them through open records requests. "We're hoping the state takes a hard look at their position, and changes their position so it doesn't go further than this," Ark Encounter's Executive President Mike Zovath told Reuters. Zovath, who is also co-founder of Answers in Genesis, said that if tax incentives for the project are withdrawn because it does not give written assurances the state now seeks, it would violate the organization's First Amendment and state constitutional rights. Zovath said the state has added a requirement about hiring practices that is not part of the existing tourism tax credits law. But a state official said on Wednesday that everybody knows laws regarding hiring practices and that the states doesn't need to elaborate them for companies seeking incentives.

We totally need a Satanist to apply for a job there.