You may know the name Ken Ham from his work founding the
Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky. For those unfamiliar, this museum became a laughingstock landmark to all but the most intrepid creationists who insist that the museum holds
proof that the earth is only 6,000 years old. It is chock full of mind-numbing "science" that attempts to slap any idea of evolution from right out your head. It comes complete with dioramas attempting to explain that yes, Iron-age man lived amongst dinosaurs who were all killed about 4,400 years ago during a global flood unleashed by a super-pissed off God. Before entering the museum, you are asked to sign a document requesting you remain respectful as you tour the museum. They have apparently had some
unsavory characters raising hell in there.
The museum's employees must sign a statement of faith before getting hired. Fair and ugly enough, since the museum was and still is, entirely privately funded. As much as I loath employment discrimination of any kind, Ham's scam is technically legit, protected by the First Amendment. Ham, who is a native of Australia, has set his sights on building a creationist empire in the United States by testing the boundaries of separation of church and state.
But this year proved a trying year for Ken.
Even as the Creation Museum began to see a precipitous fall in attendance, Ham forged ahead with a new scam plan to add to his empire. In 2013, Ham announced his intention to build an entirely for-profit Noah's Ark-styled theme park, complete with all the cubit-by-cubit construction of the great ark itself. The project immediately found itself in a swirling money toilet, with Ham forced to sell off junk bonds in order to keep his boat afloat. But it wasn't just a lack of funds that began to plague Arc Encounter. They also found themselves in serious legal hot water over their hiring practices.
Follow me over the fold.
Let's back up to early this year when Ham's ministry, Answers in Genesis, failed to find enough deep creationist pockets to fund the estimated $172.5 million to build this boondoggle. With the political clout of Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear fully behind the project, AiG petitioned the Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority for tax breaks. At the end of June, AiG was granted $18.25 million worth of tax incentives by a unanimous vote of the committee. This was just for the initial building phase of the project. Ark Encounter was likely to see upward of $73 million raked in from public tax dollars over the ensuing years. AiG and Governor Beshear shamelessly blew off criticism that this smacked right up against the principle of separation of church and state, dangling the potential for the creation of 600-700 badly needed jobs as cause to just shut up about that nonsense.
The only thing is, it was discovered that only certain people would be eligible for these jobs. In August, the Arc Experience began posting job openings. In a list of "Items Needed for Potential Employment," three disturbing requirements applicants must submit included a "Salvation testimony, a Creation belief statement, and a Confirmation of your agreement with the AiG statement of faith."
As onerous as these first two requirements are, it is that last one that really takes nerve. This "statement of faith" Ham is using as his litmus test for employment does not just demand that the applicant agree with creationism, but must fully agree with Ham's own extraordinarily narrow and authoritarian world view. It goes well beyond requiring an employee be merely a Christian, but that employee must also agree to abide requirements that make Ham and his outfit look chillingly cult-like.
This got the attention of the Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority, who realized they had made a disastrous decision to trust that anyone as off his nut as Ken Ham would abide by state law. In early October, Arc Encounter was told that their hiring practices were under review and that their state funding was in serious jeopardy unless they immediately changed their "requirements." They steadfastly refused.
On December 11, the State of Kentucky notified Answers in Genesis that they were now ineligible for the tax incentives, with even Governor Beshear tepidly conceding that "We expect any entity that accepts state incentives not to discriminate on any basis in hiring." Thus was a true American value upheld.
This arrogant and warped man thought he could flaunt the law with impunity only to discover our laws are meant for everyone. He could only push his powerful allies so far before they woke up and realized their sworn responsibility to all their constituents would matter come Election Day.
Ken must have had himself a miserable Christmas day as the reality of his situation began to sink in. Yesterday his poutrage exploded in one of the most self-pitying, lie-filled rants ever penned by a not-a-day-in-his-life "persecuted Christian."
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.
The only people who are seriously deluded enough to get through that load of tripe are the same people who go to the Creation Museum and find it conceivable that Fred Flintstone could have kept a lovable dinosaur as a pet. They are they same people who, with callous ease, discriminate against anyone and everything that goes against their belief system. They are the same people who have "evolved" in this day and age to masochistically delight in persecution fantasy at every perceived slight.
I'm reminded of those poetical lyrics by the Skip Jacks.
Flintstones. Meet the Flintstones.
They're the modern stone age family.
From the town of Bedrock,
They're a page right out of history.