Creationist leader Ken Ham is incensed that the state of Kentucky is supposedly abridging his organization’s “fundamental rights” by declining to provide around $18 million in tax incentives to his Noah’s Ark theme park. The park is a planned addition to Ham’s Creation Museum and is intended to be, according to Ham, “one of the greatest evangelist outreaches of our day.”
Since Ham’s group plans to discriminate on the basis of religion in its hiring practices, it is no surprise that it won’t get public funds. But Ham claims that he has a “right” to receive taxpayer money and has filed a lawsuit against Kentucky, insisting that his organization, Answers in Genesis, is the real victim of discrimination.
He took his case to “Washington Watch” yesterday, where he told host Tony Perkins that Kentucky’s decision somehow violates his organization’s right to the freedom of speech: “Anyone who wants to have freedom of speech in this nation, freedom of religion, free exercise of religion, needs to stand with us as we do this because that is what we are standing for.”
Ham charged that Kentucky’s decision amounts to anti-Christian persecution and means “that we can’t have the free exercise of religion.”
“The more that you don’t do anything and Christians don’t do things, we lose freedoms and we see the free exercise of religion under threat across this nation so we believe it’s time to stand for God’s people,” Ham said.
Perkins, who leads the Family Research Council, completely agreed and warned that everyone’s freedom is at stake.
