It was impressive enough that the Ark of Noah folk built a full-size replica of the Ark.
Now they are planning on sailing it to Brazil for the Olympic Games.
I can’t help but think it isn’t sea-worthy. It won’t be great for the Christian faith if the Ark fails to reach its destination…
Only $20 per car, or $10 if you are a member. I figure most folk will just wait until it is finished, so as not to spoil the magic. For when it is finished, it will be quite unique and amazing.
I previously reported on plans to build a full-size replica ark (and theme park) in Williamstown, Kentucky.
Well, they’ve had problems with funding but it still might proceed.
The project is currently in the design phase. Not enough private donations have come in to start construction, and building permits will not be ready until November, according to Ark Encounter co-founder and Senior Vice President Michael Zovath.
The project has $12.3-million in hand and $12.7-million more in committed donations; it needs $23-million more to start building the ark alone. Zovath does not know when that will happen.
Like Noah before the Flood, the builders are in a bit of a time crunch, since Kentucky tourism tax incentives for the project are set to expire in May 2014.
The longer it takes to start building the $150-million park, originally planned to open in spring 2014, the less the project stands to gain from the rebates, which allow it to receive up to 25 percent of project costs over 10 years from sales taxes generated by the business.
Zovath said the project may refile for the incentives, which critics argue are a violation of the constitutional divide between church and state. If the rebates applied to the full project cost, they could amount to $37.5-million.
My opinion: they are aiming too high. Surely they could build an ark worth visiting for much less?
Rod Walsh (from Geelong, Australia) has made seven model arks, and this is his latest:
Mr Walsh’s two metre ark model is 72 times smaller than the real deal which he says was the length of three Olympic swimming pools, four storeys high – and large enough to carry about 130,000 animals over its three levels.
…As to the curly question of dinosaurs, Mr Walsh says the Bible talks about a ‘behemoth’ with a tail the size of a cedar tree. He says he is sure there was a small dinosaur on the ark, along with ‘one of every kind’ of animal, but not every specie.
More at News Mail
That is an interesting take on the dinosaur question. According to Genesis:
Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive.
Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth.
It is clear from the photos that this model ark has had a lot of time and skill spent on it:
The model is on display at the Creation Evidence Museum – dedicated to finding and displaying evidence in favor of Creationist ideas. One such exhibit is a human footprint within a dinosaur footprint, proving a co-existence.
According to Genesis, regarding the dimensions of Noah’s Ark:
The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. Make a roof for it and finish the ark to within 18 inches of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks.
Consequently the model looks pretty close to how Christians would imagine it.
A dedication ceremony will be held on Saturday.
The Ark Encounter is a historically themed attraction currently in the planning stages. It will present numerous historical events with the centerpiece being a full-size, all-wood Noah’s Ark, which might end up being the largest timber-frame structure in the North America.
Aside from the Ark, the attraction is planning a Walled City, a Tower of Babel, a Biblical-era Middle Eastern village, Abraham and the parting of the Red Sea, aviary and zoo.
As of January 2012 $5 million had been raised of the estimated $24.5 million that will be required to build the Ark itself. The entire complex has a $125 million budget. Construction is hoped to begin this year, with the Ark completed in 2014.
Sponsors can provide a peg ($10 donation), plank ($100) or beam ($500), each of which comes with a certificate.
The Ark Encounter will be located on I-75 in Williamstown, KY, about a 40-mile interstate drive south of downtown Cincinnati, Ohio.
