Should Noah's Ark Be in Kentucky?

There is a brand new project in the state of Kentucky that involves a life-sized replica of Noah's Ark being built on taxpayer dollars (a direct violation of the First Amendment which clearly states that the government is not to endorse any religion using tax dollars) as a tourist attraction. The actual size of the ark is to be 450 feet long and taller than a three story building. That's big enough for Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker, Oral Roberts, and Pat Robertson to hold their holy roller meetings in. The ark is certainly big enough for the Holy Spirit to reside in, that's for sure. The Ark of the Covenant was the seat of God for the early Hebrews. Since Mark Lody, the ark developer, has made it known that the ark is being built on tax dollars, it is no surprise that others in Kentucky, especially non-evangelical Christians living in the Bible Belt, are complaining about this project.

Not surprisingly, the Creation Museum is not too far from where the ark is to be built. The governor of Kentucky, Steve Beshear, believes this project - the building of a life-sized Noah's Ark - is done in the name of creating jobs. Intended to draw visitors from all over the world who want to have some idea of what the original Noah's Ark looked like in the book of Genesis in the Bible, 10,000 pairs of animals will also be housed inside the ark. That means that these animals will have to be cared for, too. Of course, there is no mention of Lody's plan including pairs of animals of endangered species, such as the giant panda. Despite the fact there are many Americans who are concerned with the survival of endangered species, chances are they won't support the idea of tax dollars going to purchase these animals for the ark.

Lody's dream of building a religious theme park surrounding Noah's Ark is not an impossible stretch; in the 1960's, John Baptist Greco conceived of and built Holy Land, USA in Waterbury. Holy Land was a theme park built using his own money and recreated the stories of the gospels right up to the death and resurrection of Jesus. However, since Greco never charged admission, he soon found that he could not maintain it, and the park finally closed in 1984. Lody would be better off following Greco in using his own money (or donations from his religious compatriots) in building Noah's Ark in Kentucky.

http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/noah-s-ark-tourist-attraction-sparks-debate-23382098