Speaking of Hamite morality…


The Ark Park is in trouble because of his “morality”. Ken Ham and Answers in Genesis demand the right to discriminate in their hiring practices…while accepting public money.

The trouble began when the park, officially called Ark Encounter, listed its employment opportunities in August. Nestled among the requirements for all job applicants were three troubling obligatory documents: “Salvation testimony,” “Creation belief statement,” and a “Confirmation of your agreement with the AiG statement of faith.” (AiG is Answers in Genesis, Ham’s ministry and Ark Encounter’s parent company.) These first two requirements are problematic enough: The park is quite openly instructing all applicants to pledge that they personally believe in creationist Christianity. If an applicant has other beliefs, her application to Ark Encounter isn’t welcome.

But the third requirement is far, far worse. AiG’s statement of faith is no mere loyalty oath: It’s a four-part theological declaration mandating that all signatories accept dozens of fundamentalist Christian principles. Employees at Ark Encounter don’t just have to believe in God; they have to believe in Christ, the Holy Spirit, Satan (as “the personal spiritual adversary of both God and mankind”), Adam and Eve, “the Great Flood of Genesis,” a 6,000-year-old Earth, and the eternal damnation of “those who do not believe in Christ.” All employees must follow “the duty of Christians” and attend “a local Bible believing church.” Just for good measure, employees must oppose abortion, euthanasia, gay rights, and trans rights.

Is that Biblical morality? I’m not at all uncomfortable about rejecting it. I even take pleasure in the fact that the state of Kentucky has frozen their tax incentives.

My peculiar god-free sense of morality, though, also says that they’re entirely free to build their monument to folly…as a completely private enterprise. I’m actually kind of hoping that this will be the dead weight that sinks Answers in Genesis altogether.

Comments

  1. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    It’s always amusing that Ham thinks being a religious bigot gives him a pass on obeying secular laws. No matter that the bible explicitly says “render onto Caesar what is Caesar’s”.
    Simple Ken, you want a tax break, either follow the law, or you don’t get the tax break. Biblical morality no less. So, what is your problem?

  2. closeted says

    Unfortunately, it is just a matter of time until they toss out a workaround the courts will accept, perhaps in the name of “tradition” or as “a closely held company.”

  3. says

    They must get sick of his bullshit at some point, right? I mean, this has been going on for years, and nothing’s come of it. Surely, at some point, someone high up says “FUCK this guy,” leaving Ham to try something new.

  4. Sven says

    It’s quite telling how religious groups always try to take advantage of their religious status to behave unethically. It really undermines the Argument From Morality.

  5. says

    […] employees must oppose abortion, euthanasia, gay rights, and trans rights.

    There are secular laws concerning abortion, gay rights, etc. etc. This organization plans to ignore those as well.

    One thing is certain, religious people (at least these particular religious people) do seem to buy into an entire menu of bigotry, irrationality, and social injustice. They do not keep their religion, their beliefs to themselves. They have a world/political view that is actively evil.

  6. erichoug says

    I just don’t see how any employer, outside of a religious order, can dictate your beliefs to you. Especially when those beliefs have nothing to do with you selling Cotton Candy on the midway.

  7. pattanowski says

    What bothers me most about this ark is the waste of what I presume will be mostly older-growth hardwoods like oak. I’m also concerned for the animals that have to both live in the thing AND hang out with these idiots all day every day.

  8. qwints says

    The thing shouldn’t be getting public money regardless – it’s a blatant First Amendment violation to have state funds build a religious instruction center.

  9. unclefrogy says

    that statement of faith that they require for employment is the dead weight that sinks religion entirely.
    As the requirement indicates by being a requirement and the particular details religion intends to enforce adherence and obedience. At this time and in this country the requirement to agree and sign such an article of faith as a requirement for employment is the limit they can openly demand. Let there be no doubt that they would do much more if they could get away with it. Up to and including death for heresy and apostasy. The underpinnings of christianity are, protests of love and salvation aside, hell and damnation.
    uncle frogy

  10. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    @qwints:

    Mitchell v. Helms

    However you want to describe the first amendment situation, and whatever the ultimate ruling would be if Ark Encounter’s tax breaks were taken to court, “blatant” isn’t how the courts see it.

  11. qwints says

    Mitchell didn’t overrule the Lemon test and building a religious instruction facility has the primary purpose of advancing religion. We’re not talking about lending secular textbooks to all schools, we’re talking about public money being used to build a religious facility. The government can’t build a church for somebody either.

  12. stever says

    Pattanowski: Don’t worry about the animals in Ham’s Ark. They will be mostly animatronic. If they used real animals, can you imagine what the place would smell like? There might be a few farm animals on the upper deck, but most of the critters will be bots. There will also be air conditioning. A large structure with one small window would otherwise turn into an oven in summer. There will also be escalators, because many Hamites are elderly, and waiting for them to trudge up and down stairs would impede the flow of suckers through the Ark.

  13. Anri says

    Pieter Droogendijk @ 4:

    They must get sick of his bullshit at some point, right? I mean, this has been going on for years, and nothing’s come of it. Surely, at some point, someone high up says “FUCK this guy,” leaving Ham to try something new.

    Well, we’re not that far off of 2000 years overdue for Jesus, so…

  14. shadow says

    @3 closeted:

    If they were “closely held” (think Hobby Lobby) then they wouldn’t get the tax breaks. since the government is financing (through the tax breaks) part of this project I don’t believe they can claim they are “closely held.”

    IANAL so YMMV