In fact, it should be Christians who should have the most trouble with this kind of thing. I'm trying to think, for example, how a roller coaster down through the Tower of Babel is going to do anything other than trivialize the issue of human speech and its cultural consequences--or how a water slide out of the hold of Noah's ark is going to promote a serious understanding of human obedience and God's reaction to human evil.
But whatever you think about an "Ark Park" one of the available reasonable responses to it is not to oppose improving the roads around it, as Americans United for Separation of Church and State has chosen to do.
Since when do we choose whether to build or improve roads on the basis of what they lead to?
Church state separatist and atheist groups don't need a theme park to trivialize their views. They do a good job of it already.
The road improvements are going to cost Kentucky taxpayers $11 million if "Ark Encounter" gets everything they want. If there was evidence that the park would bring the huge number of tourists they claim, it would be a public safety issue and no problem improving the roads. The trouble is that the projections for attendance are based on very flimsy fantasy numbers. Moreover, the park builders cannot bring in enough money to build it and keep scaling back plans and claim that they will open in phases. They should at least be well under way with construction before the road improvements are started. Right now the state is taking AIG/Ark Encounter's claims on faith. I would predict that the park will never be built and that Williamstown (population 3500) will have a huge interstate exit to nothing. The people who approve such a waste of funds know it is good politics to pander to religious conservatives. A normal business would have to show good evidence for traffic increases, but the park gets by with little or no scrutiny because it has a religious theme. I think this is a case of religion getting special privileges. Thus, AU is right to complain.
ReplyDeleteMartin, just curious.... Do you believe dinosaurs were on the Ark?
ReplyDeleteNo. Do you?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous (the first one),
ReplyDeleteSome of the concerns you mention are legitimate, but I'd love to see the argument that the Beshear administration (the same administration that came up with the "holiday tree") is somehow giving a conservative religious group special privileges.
According to the news report, AU is arguing that "the Kentucky Constitution bans the use of taxpayer dollars to support religion." Sorry but that's just stupid.
Beshear announced the Ark Park early in his reelection campaign. Very few politicians are brave enough to oppose it now, even though the projected attendance is fantasy and the park is unlikely to actually be built.
ReplyDeleteHere is Section 5 of the Kentucky Constitution:
No preference shall ever be given by law to any religious sect, society or denomination; nor to any particular creed, mode of worship or system of ecclesiastical polity; nor shall any person be compelled to attend any place of worship, to contribute to the erection or maintenance of any such place, or to the salary or support of any minister of religion; nor shall any man be compelled to send his child to any school to which he may be conscientiously opposed; and the civil rights, privileges or capacities of no person shall be taken away, or in anywise diminished or enlarged, on account of his belief or disbelief of any religious tenet, dogma or teaching. No human authority shall, in any case whatever, control or interfere with the rights of conscience.
Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteSo how does providing road improvements roads leading to a theme park with a Biblical theme violate this section of the Constitution?
" nor shall any person be compelled to attend any place of worship, to contribute to the erection or maintenance of any such place"
ReplyDeleteSee: http://arkencounter.com/
"When Noah built the Ark, it stood as a symbol of salvation. No doubt Noah preached that only those who went through the Ark’s door would be saved from coming judgment.
What if we built the Ark (out of wood) today? Imagine the impact it could have on the world. What a powerful outreach to teach the world about God’s Word and the message of salvation!"
Even if the Ark Park could be reasonably considered a "place of worship" (which is the reference you left out), are you seriously saying that the government should not maintain roads leading to churches? Does that also mean that they should not be provided with utilities, fire protection, and law enforcement services as well?
ReplyDeleteRegardless, maybe you could explain how a theme park could even conceivably fall under the definition of "place of worship."
The Ark Park is no more a "place of worship" because it has Biblically-theme rides than a theme park that has a ride like "space mountain" is an actual launch facility.
> I'm trying to think, for example, how a roller coaster down through the Tower of Babel is going to do anything other than trivialize the issue of human speech and its cultural consequences
ReplyDeleteI dunno. Sounds like a perfect metaphor for the government's case at the ObamaCare hearings last week. Metaphors can have educational value.