[IMG]http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/0_GESH8P3cQlUi3CpLFvvw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en/blogs/thelookout/IMG_1403.jpg[/IMG]
[url]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/creation-museum-evolves-hoping-add-life-size-ark-170347907.html[/url]
[B]The Creation Museum evolves: Hoping to add a life-size ark project, the museum hits fundraising trouble[/B]
[QUOTE]Five years after it opened, the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky., still gleams, and life-size dinosaurs still tread the Earth, shoulder-to-shoulder with humans. But behind the scenes, one of the most ambitious efforts in America to counter evolutionary theory has hit a roadblock.
When you walk into the Creation Museum, one of the first things you see is an exhibit of a doe-eyed human child crouched next to a velociraptor dinosaur. The two seem not at all surprised that their epochs have collided. Homo sapiens and velociraptors missed each other by a good 65 million years, according to most scientists, but in the world of the Creation Museum, humans and dinosaurs were created on the same day 6,000 years ago, coexisting peacefully in the Garden of Eden. A thousand years later, a 600-year-old man ushered them onto Noah's ark.
Answers in Genesis, a ministry founded in Australia, built the Creation Museum. The group seeks to convince others that the theory of evolution is wrong and that the account of creation told in Genesis is literally true. The result: a place that resembles a slick and entertaining natural history museum, even as it peddles the exact opposite message.
Now, the people behind this museum are looking to erect something much bigger: a 160-acre park with a life-size replica of Noah's Ark built to stand 500 feet long and 80 feet high. They're hoping to tap four teams of Amish builders to construct this giant ark, which would become the largest timber structure in the country. Including parking and other areas, the entire Ark Encounter would sit on 800 acres about a 40-minute drive away from the Creation Museum in northern Kentucky.
But the ark plan now finds itself on troubled waters.
The group initially announced that it expected to break ground on the park in 2011, before eventually pushing that date back to 2014. But in June, in an interview in the Creation Museum's "Noah's Cafe," Ark Encounter vice president Michael Zovath told Yahoo News that the group no longer has a date in mind for the construction to begin. It has been unable to raise sufficient amounts of money, despite pleas to the Creation Museum's visitors to donate to the project.
"Fundraising is really tough," Zovath said, blaming the recession. "It's not moving so fast as we hoped." The private LLC that is building the park would need to raise another $20 million before it can break ground, he said. So far, it's taken in $5.6 million in donations and $17 million in private investments.
To add to the bad news, the Creation Museum is having its lowest attendance year yet. Last fiscal year, 280,000 people visited, compared to 404,000 the first year it opened in 2007. Zovath thinks that potential visitors have been less willing to travel to the museum because of the poor economy.
If the attraction does get built, it's unclear if it will be as controversial as the Creation Museum itself. The museum has draw criticism from atheists, scientists, educators (including the National Center for Science Education, which says kids who visit the museum will do worse in science classes), and fellow Christians who subscribe to a less literal, or "old Earth" view of Genesis, where the six days described in God's creation actually represent six long epochs. The museum strives to convince all visitors that the Earth is only 6,000 years old, instead of the 4.5 billion years that scientists endorse. (The museum motto: "Prepare to Believe.")
The Supreme Court has ruled that it's illegal for creationism to be taught in public schools, as a violation of the separation of church and state, so public school field trips are out.
But the museum still draws in plenty of school-age kids as visitors, in part by focusing on dinosaurs and savvy marketing campaigns. The museum has more than 100 billboards up around the country featuring cartoon dinosaurs urging drivers to make the trip.
"It's a way to get kids to come to the museum, that's the whole purpose of advertising," Zovath says of the ads. "The common response is, well, you're trying to attract children to your museum so you can teach them something we don't believe in. That's probably true," he concedes. "But secular museums and most natural history museums, when they run a dinosaur exhibit it's to promote attendance, and they're trying to teach kids things we don't believe in."
He added: "We have a message we want people to see, and the only way they'll see it is if they come to the museum."In fact, many already agree with the message. About 46 percent of Americans think God created humans in their present form, while 32 percent say humans evolved, but God helped the process along, according to a recent Gallup poll. Fifteen percent think humans evolved and God had no part in the process.
Once the Ark Encounter is built, Zovath is hoping 1.6 million people will flock to it in its first year—and boost the Creation Museum's attendance, too. These projections, based on an outside consulting firm's analysis, helped score the park tens of millions of dollars in tax breaks from the state of Kentucky.
Ark Encounter will be a "Biblically themed attraction," not an amusement park, although there is one ride. "It's an indoor ride ... taking guests through the history of Israel from the call of Abraham and then Moses through the 10 plagues, and it ends with kind of a fun ride through the Red Sea as the Red Sea parts," Zovath says. Visitors are then deposited in a "first century village," to see what life was like when Jesus lived.
One Creation Museum visitor, Dennis Stevenson, a pastor in Lakewood, Wash., told Yahoo News he hopes Ark Encounter gets built, and he would definitely make the trip again to see the park. Stevenson teaches an adult class that covers Genesis as part of his ministry and has followed the creationism/evolution debate for years. "It's a subject I'm quite interested in," he said. "I just finished building my own six-foot model of the ark for my class."
While adults make up many of the visitors, the museum is full of questions and answers aimed at kids: Could this dinosaur fossil be millions of years old? ("No! The earth is just thousands of years old, so the fossils cannot be millions of years old.") What did dinosaurs eat? ("Before man's Fall, animals were vegetarians.") Is there any other evidence that dinosaurs lived after the Flood? ("Yes. Dragons may have been dinosaurs!") Did humans live with dinosaurs? ("Yes. God made Adam and Eve on the same day as land animals.")
In the gift shop, you can buy kids' T-shirts that say, "On the Sixth Day, God Created Dinosaurs!" or a book by Creation Museum founder Ken Ham titled, "The Great Dinosaur Mystery Solved."
Sometimes, the museum tackles evolution and its huge disagreement with science head-on, through exhibits on Charles Darwin and the Grand Canyon. At other times, certain displays seemed to entirely ignore the scientific consensus on an issue. A show on finches, a small type of bird that helped Darwin first hypothesize that one species of animal could turn into many different species, doesn't mention their key role in his scientific discovery. "Scientists are puzzled how so many finch species could arise, displaying such a vast array of traits," the exhibit reads. "The Bible provides the explanation. In the beginning of time, six thousand years ago, God created every kind of bird, including the finch kind, and He gave them the ability to 'multiply upon the earth.'"
But many visitors—even the littlest ones—seemed very familiar with evolution.
When I visited in June, a girl who looked about 10 years old rushed up to an exhibit that showed a giant hummingbird. Next to it, in shadow, were three other creatures—a pterodactyl, a bat and a small finch. "Look, this is evolution!" she said, pointing at the four creatures.
Her mother jerked her head around and walked up behind the girl. "You know what, honey? Those are just other animals that are designed to fly," she said, pointing at the exhibit's description.
"Oh," the little girl said, embarrassed she'd gotten it wrong.[/QUOTE]
My brain! It [B]HURTS!![/B]
I don't want to live on this planet anymore..
I hope they do get it funded and built.
Then they all realize how it would never fit two of every species on it.
[QUOTE]Ark Encounter will be a "Biblically themed attraction," not an amusement park, although there is one ride. "It's an indoor ride ... taking guests through the history of Israel from the call of Abraham and then Moses through the 10 plagues, and it ends with kind of a fun ride through the Red Sea as the Red Sea parts," Zovath says.[/QUOTE]
If this includes Lot having sex with his daughters, I'm sold.
This is so stupid.
The only things I really dont get are that people believe a T-rex and a velociraptor(Any carnivore really) ate plants and that Earth is only six thousand years old. I can understand god creating humans and dinosaurs and maybe put up with them living side-by-side. But seriously, your gonna tell me that the velociraptor's elongated claw was originally meant for digging up roots in the ground? Or are we just going to skip over that?
I'd actually be surprised if they could pull it off.
They should just buy the Seawise Giant.
[editline]5th July 2012[/editline]
Oh wait that's been scrapped, nevermind, carry on gents.
I want to go here, if not only for the dinosaurs.
[img]http://wallpaperswide.com/thumbs/brink_ark_city-t2.jpg[/img]
expected this. Saw OP picture and replies and was not interested.
[QUOTE]So far, it's taken in $5.6 million in donations and $17 million in private investments.[/QUOTE]
Impressive.
[QUOTE=Highmist;36644120]The only things I really dont get are that people believe a T-rex and a velociraptor(Any carnivore really) ate plants and that Earth is only six thousand years old. I can understand god creating humans and dinosaurs and maybe put up with them living side-by-side. But seriously, your gonna tell me that the velociraptor's elongated claw was originally meant for digging up roots in the ground? Or are we just going to skip over that?[/QUOTE]
People think dinosaurs were vegetarian?
[QUOTE=mac338;36644455]Impressive.[/QUOTE]
Nice to see that money invested in helping the poor and such, maybe they can house 2 hobos from every city in it.
[QUOTE=Clementine;36644483]People think dinosaurs were vegetarian?[/QUOTE]
Noah brought two animals of each kind, that includes carnivores. Then they were cooped up for 40 days and 40 nights. What did they eat? Well it is assumed hay because Noah had lots of it. The problem? Carnivores eat MEAT not HAY (plants). So did they bring spare animals? Never mentions it. Although, like a lot of stories in the bible, it's just that. A story. There is no way it can be true. I've never heard of someone claiming dinosaurs were on board the ark nor vegetarians though.
[QUOTE=DemonDog;36644072]I hope they do get it funded and built.
Then they all realize how it would never fit two of every species on it.[/QUOTE]
Well at the rate humanity kills off native species we might not be too far off.
Moses of 2175: Come on everybody, two of every species.
*Utter silence*
[QUOTE=Gnomical;36644550]Noah brought two animals of each kind, that includes carnivores. Then they were cooped up for 40 days and 40 nights. What did they eat? Well it is assumed hay because Noah had lots of it. The problem? Carnivores eat MEAT not HAY (plants). So did they bring spare animals? Never mentions it. Although, like a lot of stories in the bible, it's just that. A story. There is no way it can be true. I've never heard of someone claiming dinosaurs were on board the ark nor vegetarians though.[/QUOTE]
While I agree it is just a story I believe that according to the bible he brought 7 pairs of every "clean" animal, and two pairs of every "unclean" animal.
Source: Genesis 7:2
Not so feasible now, is it?
[QUOTE=imptastick;36645124]While I agree it is just a story I believe that according to the bible he brought 7 pairs of every "clean" animal, and two pairs of every "unclean" animal.
Source: Genesis 7:2[/QUOTE]
Have you been watching QI?
[QUOTE=Mingebox;36645171]Have you been watching QI?[/QUOTE]
Every episode I can get my hands on. Wish they would broadcast it in the states.
[IMG]http://i45.tinypic.com/2rvzsb6.png[/IMG]
I read the title as Monkey woes.
Not sure which I'd rather believe
[QUOTE=imptastick;36645236]Every episode I can get my hands on. Wish they would broadcast it in the states.
[IMG]http://i45.tinypic.com/2rvzsb6.png[/IMG][/QUOTE]
Just found it by chance recently, and watched nearly every episode in a week. Kind of odd that they show Star Trek on BBC America, as if they ran out of British Shows or something.
[QUOTE=Clementine;36644483]People think dinosaurs were vegetarian?[/QUOTE]
Sort of. People think dinosaurs were vegetarian and lived with humans in Eden. After Eve ate the fruit, it released a whole bunch of shit and dinosaurs(and a bunch of other animals) turned into carnivores.
Has anyone calculated how big it needed to be in order to fit all those animals?
[editline]6th July 2012[/editline]
[img]http://www.mormonfind.com/mf_images/noahsark.gif[/img]
[img]http://www.answersingenesis.org/assets/images/articles/am/v2/n2/ships.jpg[/img]
Probably considered impressive if it was ever real.
I've been to that museum a few times. It was interesting seeing what they believe, but at the same time, they also seemed to have several screws loose.
[QUOTE=Bentham;36645958]I've been to that museum a few times. It was interesting seeing what they believe, but at the same time, they also seemed to have several screws loose.[/QUOTE]
How do you not leave feeling utterly depressed? At first I thought it would be hilarious to go, but then I realized people actually [I]believe[/I] that dinosaurs walked among humans and that the Earth is 7500 years old.
[QUOTE=shian;36645922]Has anyone calculated how big it needed to be in order to fit all those animals?[/QUOTE]
You have to remember it also held dinosaurs.
[QUOTE=ewitwins;36646001]How do you not leave feeling utterly depressed? At first I thought it would be hilarious to go, but then I realized people actually [I]believe[/I] that dinosaurs walked among humans and that the Earth is 7500 years old.[/QUOTE]
People have believed crazier things. It was bizarre, and a lot of the stuff was unbelievable, but it's not as bad as thinking the president is a lizard or something.
[QUOTE=Bentham;36646089]People have believed crazier things. It was bizarre, and a lot of the stuff was unbelievable, but it's not as bad as thinking the president is a lizard or something.[/QUOTE]
I'd say those two are equally bad, actually.
[QUOTE=Chrille;36646095]I'd say those two are equally bad, actually.[/QUOTE]
Well I guess you could say that. I don't know. I've been around beliefs like this my whole life (Not the lizard thing, thankfully). I'm used to hearing it and being around people who believe it. Does it get annoying sometimes? Goodness yes, some friends and family of mine are just ridiculously into it. But I don't freak out about it, because yeah, some beliefs are just off the wall crazy, but it's not really my problem, you know?
Believing the world is 6000 years old is equivalent to believing that North America, from California to New York, is only about 10 yards or 9.14 meters wide.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.
