Aussie Noah’s ark is ready to set sail … T-rex included

AUSSIE Ken Ham spent $100 million to build his own Noah’s Ark. Now, he’s waiting for the supporters — and the protesters — to come.

KEN Ham built a $100 million ark. Now, he’s waiting for the supporters — and the protesters — to come. The dinosaurs? Apparently, they’re already there.

Mr Ham, aka the Aussie Noah, this week opens what he’s described as “one of the greatest Christian outreaches of our era” — his life-size replica of Noah’s ark.

Australian-born Ham left Brisbane and his job as a science teacher three decades ago for America.

The Young Earth Creationist and founder and president of Answers In Genesis has become one of the most powerful and polarising religious leaders in America’s Bible Belt.

And his life-size Ark Encounter in Kentucky is a monolithic physical reminder of that.

As Thursday’s opening day looms, a renewed wave of protest and support for Ham’s Ark Encounter project has built.

Atheist group Tri-State Freethinkers is planning to hold a protest against outside the Ark Encounter on opening day.

It tried to place billboards on the highway approaching Ark Encounter, calling it the “Genocide and Incest Park”, but was rebuffed by billboard companies, Christian news website Christian Today reported.

Praying for his opponents: Ken Ham. Picture: Supplied by Channel 7

Ham believes evolution is a fraud, the world is only 6000 years old and was created in six days, the Book of Genesis is historical fact, homosexuality is a sin, and, yes, Noah really did march animals onto an ark to save them from a great flood. Ham’s ark is built according to the dimensions given in the Bible.

Freethinkers’ founder and president, Jim G Helton, said the moral of the flood story is “horrible”.

“We’re not saying he can’t build his park. But we don’t think it’s appropriate for a family fun day,” he said.

The Freethinkers are among a host of atheist groups planning to protest at the opening.

Another group, American Atheists in Texas, is calling on its supporters to join the protest, describing the ark as “an affront to reality”.

A blessing to have a major world class Themed Attraction that's Christian family friendly @ArkEncounter opens July 7 pic.twitter.com/B4fQ3RMkm4

— Ken Ham (@aigkenham) June 28, 2016

And Ham and his project have drawn fresh fire from Ham’s biggest nemesis, “The Science Guy’ Bill Nye.

Young Earthers believe that God created the universe in six days, and that all of history spans 6000 years, during which time humans coexisted with dinosaurs.

Hence Ham’s ark features animatronic baby Tyrannosaurus rexes alongside humans among its exhibits.

“Humans and ancient dinosaurs did not live at the same time. It’s completely unreasonable,” Nye told The New York Times.

“We’re going to raise a generation of kids who are scientifically illiterate.”

The article went on to claim that the presentation of the Ark Encounter is wrong, and said that science “has established that the Earth is billions of years old, and no worldwide flood occurred in the last 6000 years.”

Ham, long used to opposition, responded via his Facebook page.

“The Ark Encounter has its own scoffers as Noah had — the closer to the Ark being finished. the more the scoffers arise,” he wrote, claiming the article ‘smacked of British tabloidism’.

“Many reporters today don’t report news — they use their position to push their obvious anti-biblical agenda and denigrate Christians/creationists ... and many reporters are so brainwashed by secular evolutionary beliefs, they can’t distinguish belief from fact,” he said.

Biblical proportions: The ark is seven storeys high, about 200m long and is believed to the biggest timber-framed structure on the planet. Picture: Channel 7

Ham has used his Facebook page to promote the finishing touches being made to the ark, as well as to respond to his critics, repeating his assertions that no taxpayers or public funds were used to build the ark.

He renewed an invitation to Nye to tour Ark Encounters, and has encouraged his supporters to ‘pray for those planning to protest, saying American Atheists Texas state director Aron Ra ‘needs our prayers and ask the Lord to open his heart to the truth of His Word and the saving gospel’.

Protesters tried to hijack a giveaway of free family entry to the ark: ‘enter the competition, win all the prizes, and stop a family subjecting their kids to this nonsense’.

Ham responded he’d be ‘thrilled if an atheist did win one of the passes and came to the Ark to hear God’s Word and the gospel ... but this atheist wants people to win the passes and not have them be used — it’s their attempt to keep people away from this amazing God-honouring facility’.

The ark is the biggest monument in Ham’s multi-million dollar religious empire — Ham is also an author, has a radio show, and is the darling of the Middle America homeschooling sector.

Ham forecasts tourists will visit Ark Encounter in their millions.

Atheist attacks @ArkEncounter always remind me “you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good...to save many people alive.” Gen 50:20

— Ken Ham (@aigkenham) July 3, 2016