Self described apologetics ministry, Answers in Genesis (AiG), owners of the 70,000 square foot Creation Museum (where "dinosaurs roam near Eden’s Rivers") are currently building a theme park in Williamstown, Kentucky, which will feature a life-size replica of the biblical Noah's Ark, called Ark Encounter.
According to The Christian Post, AiG is filing a lawsuit against Kentucky for denying the Ark Encounter theme park participation in the state's tax rebate incentive program, arguing that the refusal is based on religious discrimination against the creationist group's beliefs.
The article goes on to say that Kentucky officials initially offered $18 million in tax incentives, but has now retracted the offer over AiG's intent to show religious preference in its hiring.
This news story has prompted me to re-read the story of the Flood, as told in chapters 6 thru 9 in Genesis.
Noah's story in Genesis doesn't mention how long it took to build the ark, or who, specifically helped Noah in the construction. I am assuming that Noah was assisted by his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Surely, no one else helped; I'd hate to think that some of those who might have helped Noah were left behind when it started raining. So, I'm going with the idea that four men worked on the ark, using primitive tools to cut down the gopher wood, saw the wood, put it all together and cover it with pitch.
The Bible gives the size of the ark as three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide with a height of thirty cubits. I don't know the length of a cubit, but it must be quite long. After all, it would take a very large boat indeed to hold "of every clean animal........seven pairs, a male and its mate; and of the unclean animals, one pair, a male and its mate; likewise, of every bird of the air, seven pairs, a male and a female, to keep their progeny alive over all the earth", as well as "all the food that is to be eaten".
As mentioned above, AiG plans for their ark to be a life-size replica of Noah's. Does life-size mean full-size ?
I'm fairly certain that AiG will not attempt to build an ark larger than the original, but where as Noah had (in all likelihood) only three helpers, AiG needs bulldozers with GPS receivers mounted to the blades, cement trucks, backhoes and cranes. I won't speculate as to the number of men who will be employed, other than to say that there will probably be more than four.
The Ark Encounter website gives the projected budget as $29.5M.
I'm not going to put forth any "separation of Church and State" nonsense when arguing against the $18 million tax incentives. I'm just wondering why AiG doesn't use the same funding Noah used when he constructed his ark. The Bible makes not mention of Noah needing $29.5 million to get the job done. AiG should be able to build their ark in the same manner.
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