Why Ken Ham's Ark Is In Kentucky Rather Than New South Wales

Recently some fellow Hovindologists encouraged me to look into a tax controversy concerning the Ark Encounter - Ken Ham's full size model of Noah's ark, which must have had a carrying capacity of hundreds of thousands of cubic cubits, but I am too weak at solid geometry to work it out.  

Why I took this as practically an assignment is a foreshadowing I fear of what my obituary would look like if I make it to the New York Times - Peter J. Reilly Leading Authority On The Tax Shenanigans of Youth Earth Creationists.  At any rate, the story was forbes worthy and kind of a nothing to see here folks type of thing.

As I was doing my research, though, an interesting comment popped up from someone I spoke to.  It was that Ken Ham is an Australian.  The speculation is that Ark Encounter is in Kentucky rather than New South Wales or the Northern Territory, because Australians have little patience for the mishegas of young earth creationism. I reached out to sometime Hovindologist Nathan Zamprogno. 

Nathan is a high school teacher, city councillor, director and actor in Hawkesbury in New South Wales.  New South Wales is my favorite part of Australia.  Not that I have ever been there or anything.  It is because of the song.

Nathan's response was so good that I am making it a guest post. The title above is mine.  Nathan's title is below.  Here you go.

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An Australian Apologizes For His Nations Contribution To American Idiocracy 


I find myself frequently apologising to American friends for inflicting Ken Ham on you. He's arguably our most disreputable export, despite the fact that your market for swivel-eyed loonies is already saturated with the likes of Kent Hovind and company.

You ask me if Ham saw more fertile soil for his fairy stories in America than in Australia, and I emphatically concur.

Young-Earth Creationism in Australia is far, far less prevalent than in the U.S. The figures I've sourced suggest a figure of up to 47% of Americans adhere to some form of Young Earth Creationism vs 23%* in Australia when questions phrased like "Do you believe that the Earth is less than 10,000 years old" are put.

How to explain this? To claim a fundamental difference in intelligence or the quality of our respective educational systems in our two great nations would be condescending. I'll leave it to others to unwrap the paradox of why the only nation in history capable of putting men on the moon also believes that the Flintstones is an accurate representation of human/dinosaur cohabitation.

However, as an antipodean, I can speak to the prevailing culture in Australia. I say that the milieu that gave rise to the Scopes trial, or the Kitzmiller trial, or the "Ark Park" is next to impossible in Australia. Our education system is centrally governed, in the sense that there are no local school boards.

Our most recent national Census reports that godlessness is continuing an inexorable rise that has been consistent for decades. 29.6% of Australians now report "no religion", nearly double the figure reported in the 2001 Census†.

No wonder that Ken Ham saw the greater opportunities that lay beyond his own shores, in the same way that a gambler is attracted to the winking lights of Vegas across the desert sands.

It is to be remembered, of course, that Ken Ham felt no filial piety to the organisation he left behind in Australia, formerly known as Creation Science Evangelism, and now as Creation Ministries International. Otherwise close kin to Ham's "Answers in Genesis", CMI was raped and left for dead by Ham when he stole CMI's magazine subscriber's list in 2007 (the magazine that CMI produced for AiG's American readers and a substantial source of income for the Australian operation), and substituted Ham's own in-house publication. Ham's recent ploy of recategorising his outfit as a non-for-profit ministry just so he can avoid paying tax is entirely consonant with Ham's consistently unethical, deceitful, mealy-mouthed modus-operandi. CMI, arguably the largest Creationist outfit in Australia, is a shell... a tiny office in the outer suburbs of Brisbane with speakers who are only welcome in fringe churches. I rarely see their material. I've worked in Christian Schools for nearly 20 years. No school I've ever worked at would stock their materials or publications, and all the Christian schools I've worked at specifically repudiate Young Earth Creationism in their foundational creeds.


There is simply no way an "Ark Park" would ever float in Australia. We would look at it with disbelief, and laugh and laugh, until the proponents simply slunk away in shame.

If I was invited to reflect on the differences of character between Australia and the United States, it would be to say that the Australian character is naturally irreligious as an extension of our national character as a bunch of larrakins, blessed with a refined skepticism, a healthy disdain for those professing an inflated sense of authority, a dry wit, resilience and gift for improvisation.

An Australian literary critic, historian and commentator Robert Hughes once stated "Any Australian political candidate who declared God was on his side would be laughed off the podium as an idiot or a wowser (prude, intrusive bluenose)." I don't think that statement could be said of your countrymen. Further, we've had any number of openly atheist Prime Ministers; five since the end of WW2.

 I'm also reminded of the words of one of our famous authors, Tim Winton.

Australia is such a resolutely irreligious culture.  Given our origins, the European origins of this country, it should be no surprise that Australians are pretty doubtful about men in uniform and authority and suspicious of the church.  In America you can rely on some common religious understandings, some spiritual givens, if you like.  Here the soil is pretty thin and bitter.  There is no religious life without the central necessity of imagination.  That historical Australian hostility to the imagination has wounded our culture, I think.  It's hard writing against that flow, particularly when it's joined and reinforced by the anesthesia of consumerism.

Whether the current American tendency to uncritically accept flim-flam men like Ham, Hovind or Trump is ingrained, or a temporary fever which will pass, is not for me to say, but I can say with the greatest of affection from your Australian brethren, that we are worried about America like never before, and despair almost as much as you at the parlous state of your polity, your civic discourse, and the credulity with which once risible ideas are given mainstream currency.

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Peter J Reilly CPA leading authority on creationist tax mishegas appreciates guest contributions which will help him in his goal to become the Tom Sawyer of blogging.

When Reason Fails Try Ridicule?

Hovindology is adding to my guest posting brain trust.  Some of the best critiques of "creation science" that I have read have been by Nathan Zamprogno, who has been a Hovidologist much longer than I.  In this post he discusses the best way to deal with outrageous belief systems. I don't agree with Nathan on every point and have a tendency to adopt a more conciliatory tone in dealing with Hovindicators, but he makes some good points.

Commentary from Nathan Zamprogno:

‘I am patient with stupidity,’ Edith Sitwell used to say, ‘just not with those who are proud of it.’

More than occasional readers will know that I have often reflected on the significance of the conjunction between Sovereign Citizen belief, and other irrational beliefs like young-earth creationism, vaccine-skepticism, and various creepy ’truthisms’ like 9/11 false flag, birthers, or even the reptilian-UFO NWO conspiracy.

In my last commentary, I identified the common thread; faulty critical thinking skills. Sometimes this arises due to religious brainwashing. Sometimes it’s just ignorance and stupidity. But it certainly explains why these beliefs seem to occur in clusters.

I am on the national committee of an anti-Cult organisation, CIFS, here in Australia. I can tell you that the parallels between so-called Sovereign Citizens, or tax protesters, or Creationists, or conspiracy theorists, and the suppressed critical thinking faculties among cult victims is uncanny. I’m thinking of the unshakable certainties. The aggressive bluster. The conflation of *prosecution* with *persecution*. The parroting of parodied versions of the same values that exposed them as deluded, such as ‘open mindedness’ or ‘skepticism’. And most tellingly, the complete absence of a sense of irony — a complete ignorance of their own ludicrousness.

The horrified fascination we hold for Kent Hovind, who never, ever met a nutty theory he didn’t like, has now extended to a horrified fascination with the retinue of restive whiners who have come out of obscurity to bask unwittingly in our fremdschämen.

So here’s the problem: These people are not going to change their minds. If we gave them the benefit of a doubt before, I think we can conclude that we’re beyond that now.As Sam Harris says, ‘How can you argue with someone who does not value evidence or logic?’ (http://thedailyquotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/famous-sam-harris-quote-saying-pic.jpg)

What are we to do?

There is an answer, and it’s surprisingly effective, and it’s working even now.

The answer is shame, ridicule and scorn.

This was brought home powerfully to me when I read an excellent piece titled “The Anti-Vaccine Movement Should Be Ridiculed, Because Shame Works” , by Matt Novak which reminded us of the battle we’re slowly winning over the anti-vax cranks.

Here in Australia, egregious vaccine crank Sherri Tenpenny was recently booked to a major national tour of four cities  . Ordinary people spoke up and expressed their entirely righteous anger. All eleven venues Tenpenny was booked for, cancelled. Tenpenny was tarred and feathered, and Australia will remain free from her particular brand of ignorance. A textbook takedown! Huzzah!

And it seems that you, my American friends, do know how to do the same to the cranks in your ranks.

Witness the comprehensive (and now thoroughly viral) takedown Dan Bidondi got at the hands of Boston hero Roger Nicolson when Bidondi pretended to be a journalist and crashed a press conference with specious questions about the bombing being a false flag operation. “You Asshat”… <snicker>. 

Witness the hapless ‘Ayatollah of Appalachia’, Ken Ham, fulminating futilely as his tax concessions are stripped away because canny Kentuckians spoke up about his discriminatory employment practices, meaning public funds will no longer be wasted on his Biblical boondoggle of an Ark. Strike one up for common sense!

And now, witness the tide of indifference sensible people are responding with as Rudy Davis and co. are ratcheting up the hysteria about Kent Hovind’s ongoing criminal behavior. No one of any import cares, because Hovind’s supporters are making the prosecution case with surprising eloquence by threatening public officials and posting endless prison phone-chats that are deeply incriminating to Hovind.

Kent Hovind and his co-accused Hansen will probably get another year or two in prison. More may be too much to hope for, even though they both richly deserve to languish there until they realise that ‘penitentiaries’ are there to induce ‘penitence’.

On current form, that could be *forever*.

Rudy Davis may lose his job, if he hasn’t already, as his life becomes consumed by what we may term a literal Hovind-mania. We’ll continue to watch with interest to see if it’s the tax court, the secret service, or the state troopers guarding Florida courthouses who catch up with him first for his various threats against the IRS, President Obama, or Judge Rodgers respectively. I have a bad feeling about Davis.

[PJR: Lest I be accused of not paying attention, I should note here that Kent is being tried in a federal court in Pensacola. If you make trouble inside the court house you have to deal with US Marshals.  Remember Nathan is from Australia]

Dan Bidondi will continue to be punched in the nose for grossly insulting human decency everywhere he goes. Eventually, his Mom may arrive on air to grab his ear, ground him and take away his microphone, and that can’t happen soon enough.

Ernie Land’s clients will finally realise that every single theory he espouses lands them in prison, while Land himself never, ever seems to have the courage of his own convictions —and him slinking back into the shadows to take in a new rube down the track will finally end. Destination: Prison. Just you wait.

[PJR: I don't think Ernie generally holds himself out as a counselor. He has a special long term relationship with Kent which has thrust him in the role of spokesman and consigliere.  I understand that he earns his daily bread through marketing healthy products.]

Eric Hovind will eventually prove that the apple rarely falls far from the tree, and my suspicion is that the CSE assets sold and snapped straight back up by the lesser-Hovind’s “God Quest” scam may yet be forfeit as Kent and Jo’s personal tax debts come home to roost. Eric has understandably kept well clear of his father's case, but we all know that his new scam is just the old scam with a new coat of paint.

So go read the excellent Gizmodo piece by Matt Novak linked above. Liken its lessons to the parade of crazy that Hovind’s followers are spouting, and be of good cheer. Make no mistake: Most of America, and certainly the rest of the world, are all pointing and laughing both at Kent Hovind, and his clown-car of followers. Laughing all the time.

And eventually, they will all be shamed into a blessed silence.

Nathan Zamprogno from Australia has held a long-time interest in fringe belief, blogging about Kent Hovind since 2007. After losing his wife in 2009 to a cult group, he has taken on an advocacy role with Australia's leading anti-cult watchdog, CIFS . He has worked for conservative parliamentarians at state and federal level and has worked in Christian schooling since 1998. He holds a Bachelor Degree in History and Philosophy and a Masters Degree in Education.

http://gizmodo.com/the-anti-vaccine-movement-should-be-ridiculed-because-1683258152

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