A group of Christians who believe every word of the Bible is true have cut the ribbon on a 510-foot-long (155 metre) version of Noah’s Ark which cost more than $100 million to build.
The ark, in rural Kentucky about 20 miles south of Cincinatti, has been criticized by evolutionists, who say it will be detrimental to science education.
But Australian Ken Ham, president of Answers in Genesis, the ministry that built the ark, said he believed it would be one of the ‘greatest Christian outreaches of this era in history.’
Since its announcement in 2010, the ark project has rankled opponents who say the attraction should not have won state tax incentives, and there are plans for a protest rally tomorrow when it opens to the public for the first time.
see photos
Inside the Ark are museum-style exhibits: displays of Noah’s family along with rows of cages containing animal replicas, including dinosaurs. But the project has been criticized by pro-science groups who say it is based on a myth
Answers in Genesis, the ministry that built the ark, says it is built based on dimensions in the Bible
The group believes God created everything about 6,000 years ago — man, dinosaurs and everything else
The museum-style exhibits inside the giant ark feature biblical scenes, but also caged replicas of baby dinosaurs
This 510-foot-long (155 metre), $135 million Noah’s ark is the brain child of Australian creationist Ken Ham
The massive ark, based on the tale of a man who got an end-of-the-world warning from God about a massive flood, will open on Thursday
Mr Ham said the massive ark, based on the tale of a man who got an end-of-the-world warning from God about a massive flood, will stand as proof that the stories of the Bible are true.
‘People are going to come from all over the world,’ Ham said to thousands of people in front of the ark.
The group invited media and thousands of supporters for a preview yesterday, the first glimpse inside the giant, mostly wood structure.
The Governor of Kentucky, Matt Bevin, and the state’s Lieutenant Governor, Jenean Hampton, both attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The ark will open to the public tomorrow and Ham’s group has estimated it will draw two million visitors in its first year, putting it on par with some of the big-ticket attractions in nearby Cincinnati.
But a protest is planned by the Tri-State Freethinkers and their spokesman Jim Helton said: ‘Basically, this boat is a church raising scientifically illiterate children and lying to them about science.
‘It’s a clear violation of separation of church and state. What they’re doing is utterly ridiculous and anywhere else, I don’t think it would be allowed,’ said Mr Helton.
Ken Ham’s group estimates it will draw 2 million visitors in its first year, making it a major tourist draw card for Kentucky
The group says the ark is built based on dimensions in the Bible. Inside are museum-style exhibits: displays of Noah’s family along with rows of cages containing animal replicas, including dinosaurs.
The group believes that God created everything about 6,000 years ago — man, dinosaur and everything else — so dinosaurs still would’ve been around at the time of Noah’s flood.
Scientists say dinosaurs died out about 65 million years before man appeared.
Ham said the total cost of the ark surpassed $100million, a far cry from a few years ago, when fundraising for the boat was sluggish and much larger theme park plans had to be scaled back.
Source: Mail Online
