Ken needs to screw his head on more tightly!
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Beware: This probable Trumpite is helping to corrupt both American Christianity and American democracy. |
I've caught fundamentalist theme park supremo Kenneth Ham at it before; that is, telling half-truths in a way that has the effect of misrepresenting the actual situation. See for example the link below:
Views, News and Pews: History Please, Not Hamstory (viewsnewsandpews.blogspot.com)
See also my Hell and Hamnation watch posts which provide a sample of the kind of personality we are dealing with in Ken.
Now, if the Panda's Thumb website is to be believed then Ken is at it again with his contentions about his Ark Park financing. See here:
Dan Phelps reminds Ken Ham of some important tax benefits (pandasthumb.org)
Ken is saying that the Ark Park was entirely funded by private means, a statement which I have no reason to doubt! However, according to Panda's Thumb Ken is being selective in what he is telling us, and he is not telling us about the following:
* City of Williamstown
sold Ark 98 acres of land for $1.
* City also gave AIG
$175,000 in cash.
* City reduced property
tax on Ark.
* City issued $62
million in unsecured junk bonds for Ark construction.
* 75% of Ark Encounter's
property taxes will go to repaying bonds instead of to local government.
* Employees of Ark
Encounter must pay 2% of wages to Ark bond debt (for next 30 years).
* State transportation
cabinet spent $11 million to upgrade Interstate 75 exits in anticipation of
huge traffic increase that did not occur.
* AIG claims Ark is worth $130 million on 990 forms to Federal government and potentially when getting loans. Grant County property tax valuation (which supports local schools) assesses Ark value at $48 million.
A selective epistemic like Ken's is something we've all got to be careful not to use: It is all too easy to find oneself selecting out only the facts which strengthen our contention.
As we have seen in my links above Ken is very quick to accuse those who don't see eye to eye with him of being liars and/or evil compromisers (Much like Donald Trump in fact - Trump takes a very dim view of critics and disloyal followers; he uses any opposition to his Trumpness as a reason to abuse people). This form of character assassination is very much in line with a cult ethos which has parallels in the Watch Tower organization founded by Charles Taze Russel. However, the WT & its followers do at least keep themselves to themselves and aren't out to rule us all, since they eschew political involvement, unlike many a Trumpite fundamentalist who seem to be pursuing a line which looks suspiciously dominionist. As we have seen Ken is probably a Trumpite and has also given implicit credence to the Trump QAnon cult.
And in recent developments I note that the elected house speaker Mike Johnson is not only a Trump supporter and helped promote those 2020 lies about election fraud, but he also has connections with AiG. Answers in Genesis under Ken's leadership seems to be slowly cementing its links with the potential mob rule of Donald Trump. AiG is therefore corrupting Christianity and American democracy to boot. Political corruption of Christianity has happened before.
It would be nice if our Ken took a leaf out of the books of Christian conservatives Mike Pence and Micheal Brown*; neither supports Trump and both seem reasonable sympathetic Christians who, unlike Ken, have their heads well screwed on. I suspect that Micheal Brown is a young earthist which only goes to show that my problem with Ken is not primarily with his young earth views.
Footnote:
* My main complaint with Brown is that he's not vocal enough about the dangers of Trumpism although I realize he has mitigating circumstances in that a large part of his audience and support base are from the Christain Trump-voting far-right, so he's got a lot at stake.
Relevant links
1. Mike Johnson challenged over Trump election lies.
'MAGA' Mike Johnson busted by Christian columnist for using the Bible to shield his lies (msn.com)
QUOTE: Touching on "Mike Johnson’s refusal to answer a
question about the effort to overturn the 2020 election," French wrote,
"There is a reason that effort is called the Big Lie. It was one of the
most comprehensively and transparently dishonest political movements in
American history. And Mike Johnson was in the middle of it."
2. Trump's Extreme Nazi Sounding Rhetoric
Trump's Veteran's Day message draws comparisons to Hitler (msn.com)
Trump says: "In honor of our great Veterans on Veteran’s Day, we pledge to you that we will root out the Communists, Marxists, Fascists, and Radical Left Thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our Country, lie, steal, and cheat on Elections, and will do anything possible, whether legally or illegally, to destroy America, and the American Dream. The threat from outside forces is far less sinister, dangerous, and grave, than the threat from within. Despite the hatred and anger of the Radical Left Lunatics who want to destroy our Country, we will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
I have a feeling I'd fall into Trump's "Vermin" class.
3. The Fear of Authoritarianism in the US
4. Links to note:
Trump lawyers suggest Mike Pence is colluding with Biden to bring down their client (msn.com)
BBC blasted over 'woke' documentary as angry viewers call it 'ham-fisted propaganda' (msn.com)
