The Ark Encounter: Ken Ham Builds His Dream Yacht
Today, a big dream has come true for creationist megastar and world-renowned denier of science Ken Ham. The grand opening of the Ark Encounter, a massive theme park dedicated to the biblical story of Noah’s Ark, welcomes evangelicals from all over the country to experience the “life-size” replica of Noah’s Ark. Sitting at 51 feet high and 510 feet long, this massive structure is sure to impress even the strictest of nonbelievers, but the feelings it provokes vary from awe to despair.
Some believers will see this park as a religious experience, brought to tears with renewed faith in the almighty. Many may see this new theme park as harmless, insisting that those who object to it simply needn’t pay it any attention. But for nonbelievers, this new attraction is nothing more than wasted money and a disturbing plot to attract children to Christianity. Its mere existence enforces endorsement of false truth to the biblical tale. Surely, individuals have the right to fund and erect buildings for worship, but why a theme park that unquestionably targets children? Because religion is losing ground among children.
This park, like Ham’s Creation Museum, is a blatant attempt to push kids toward evangelical religion. It distracts its guests from asking important questions with high-tech robotic displays and extravagant recreations of biblical scenes—an anti-science fairy-tale come to life. And like the Creation Museum which has been the destination of many controversial public school fieldtrips, the Ark Encounter will undoubtedly become a location of inappropriate religious proselytizing. Sure, you can get the same information from a bible study class or a Sunday morning spent in church, but can you fly through the sky at fifty miles per hour on a biblical times zip line? How about eat your favorite junk food at a giant biblical style food court? Only at the Ark Encounter. Kind of reminds you of a creepy guy in a van with candy, right?
The park advertises itself as an exact replica of the real Noah’s Ark. Ken Ham may be full of it, but he sure is good at manipulation. At the Ark Encounter, visitors will learn the answers to questions that have been asked for centuries like, “How big was Noah’s Ark? How did Noah fit all the animals on board? How did Noah feed and care for all the animals? How did Noah build the Ark?” The only problem is…no one has the answers to these questions! In fact, the long list of unanswered questions about the ark is seemingly endless, some which are covered by our pal Hemant Mehta, likely due to the strong probability that it never existed.
When it comes down to it, yes, Ken Ham really believes in all of this, but he is also a businessman. His dedication to securing future generations of believers ensures Ham a future of customers. Just as Disney exploited children’s tales to build an empire, Ham is attempting to mimic world-famous theme parks to exploit the stories of the bible. And, with nearly 30 percent of the world’s population being Christian, I’d say he’s secured his place in a secure market for now.