# Ken Ham blames "Ark Encounter" failure on atheists **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 21, 2017, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-ham-blames-ark-encounter-failure-on-atheists/789575 "2017-06-21T23:28:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![pythonzzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9e8a1a/32.png) [@pythonzzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pythonzzz)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-ham-blames-ark-encounter-failure-on-atheists/789575/261 "2017-07-27T03:54:01Z")
Now Hammy **will** man-up after his snitting and shuffling. > [@](#): > > After doing just about everything they could to get out of it — including nearly losing a tax rebate worth more than $18 million — Ken Ham and his merry band of Creationists have finally agreed to pay a $0.50-per-ticket safety fee to the city of Williamstown. > **[Nonreligious Questions](https://www.patheos.com/nonreligious-questions/)** > > Whether you’ve been turned off by religion in the past or have a question about one of the world’s religions, check out what Patheos has to offer. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-ham-blames-ark-encounter-failure-on-atheists/789575/262 "2017-07-27T06:45:39Z")
I think the whole blow-up over the fee (which is added to ticket prices and not enough to be likely to turn away anyone willing to pay $40 but not $40.50) was that they don’t want anyone knowing how many tickets they sell. ---
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-ham-blames-ark-encounter-failure-on-atheists/789575/263 "2017-07-27T12:19:03Z")
A special prosecutor will get to the bottom of that. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-ham-blames-ark-encounter-failure-on-atheists/789575/264 "2017-07-27T18:20:58Z")
Just out of curiosity, are there any other countries with this sort of boondoggle tourist attraction? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-ham-blames-ark-encounter-failure-on-atheists/789575/265 "2017-07-27T18:41:27Z")
Maybe Israel, with all that Jesus stuff that got invented in the Middle Ages. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-ham-blames-ark-encounter-failure-on-atheists/789575/266 "2017-07-27T18:49:53Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > Just out of curiosity, are there any other countries with this sort of boondoggle tourist attraction? Well, there [del]is[/del] was [Gulliverland](http://weburbanist.com/2011/06/05/big-in-japan-gullivers-kingdom-abandoned-theme-park/). ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-ham-blames-ark-encounter-failure-on-atheists/789575/267 "2017-07-27T18:52:03Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I think the whole blow-up over the fee (which is added to ticket prices and not enough to be likely to turn away anyone willing to pay $40 but not $40.50) was that **they don’t want anyone knowing how many tickets they sell.** They don’t have any trouble with lying. Or not rendering to Caesar. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-ham-blames-ark-encounter-failure-on-atheists/789575/268 "2017-07-27T20:57:45Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > Just out of curiosity, are there any other countries with this sort of boondoggle tourist attraction? North Korea? [6 Reasons North Korea is the Funniest Evil Dictatorship Ever](http://www.cracked.com/article_17165_6-reasons-north-korea-funniest-evil-dictatorship-ever.html), [Cracked.com](http://Cracked.com) One item describes their dreary attempt at an amusement park. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-ham-blames-ark-encounter-failure-on-atheists/789575/269 "2017-08-02T17:04:06Z")
Hammy’s theme park expert [forgot to carry the 1](http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2017/07/30/creationist-researcher-i-blame-ark-encounters-low-attendance-on-summer/). ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-ham-blames-ark-encounter-failure-on-atheists/789575/270 "2017-08-02T17:56:58Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > [“God hates freaks!”](http://www.adultswim.com/videos/robot-chicken/noahs-rejects/) > > (Yes, it’s Mila Kunis.) Awesome, but they should’ve gone deeper into the Aliens scene, ‘maybe we could build a fire, sing some songs,’ ‘you always were an asshole, Minotaur.’ ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-ham-blames-ark-encounter-failure-on-atheists/789575/271 "2018-04-21T17:48:13Z")
[The latest attendance numbers](http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2018/04/21/ark-encounters-latest-attendance-numbers-are-ken-hams-nightmare/). [Link to the “this is fine” meme](https://www.theverge.com/2016/5/5/11592622/this-is-fine-meme-comic). ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-ham-blames-ark-encounter-failure-on-atheists/789575/272 "2018-04-21T18:33:34Z")
So Kenny The Ham didn’t get 1-2 million visitors each year as he fervently prophesied (“Lord, have mercy!”). Half a mil is still pretty impressive. I get only, um…maybe 10 to my house per year? And they drink my beer, eat my peanuts, point and laugh, but don’t pay me shit. Until you consider that many of those archetype, paying visitors were probably non-creationists who just wanted to point and laugh at the ignorance. Still, a dollar is a dollar no matter whose pocket it came from. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-ham-blames-ark-encounter-failure-on-atheists/789575/273 "2018-04-21T18:37:51Z")
Maybe Ken should partner with the Schlitterbahn people and add a waterslide. so his attendance figures can really evolve. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-ham-blames-ark-encounter-failure-on-atheists/789575/274 "2018-04-21T18:46:13Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Maybe Ken should partner with the Schlitterbahn people and add a waterslide. so his attendance figures can really evolve. You laugh, but [they already have zip lines](https://arkencounter.com/zip-lines/) (just like the original ark.) ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-ham-blames-ark-encounter-failure-on-atheists/789575/275 "2018-04-21T19:19:00Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-ham-blames-ark-encounter-failure-on-atheists/789575/276 "2018-04-21T19:24:26Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Well, there [del]is[/del] was [Gulliverland](http://weburbanist.com/2011/06/05/big-in-japan-gullivers-kingdom-abandoned-theme-park/). I would visit Gulliverland. Sounds like the creepiest theme park ever. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-ham-blames-ark-encounter-failure-on-atheists/789575/277 "2018-04-21T21:25:03Z")
Yeah! I remember from the book, and I read it early in junior high, how Gulliver put out the palace fire in Lilliput. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-ham-blames-ark-encounter-failure-on-atheists/789575/278 "2018-09-21T20:34:04Z")
[So the Ark Park continues its downward spiral](http://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2018/09/20/ark-encounter-sold-fewer-tickets-this-august-than-last-august/). Meanwhile, Kent “[_Hello, my name is Kent Hovind_](https://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2014/06/23/wikileaks-released-kent-hovinds-doctoral-thesis/)” Hovind [has his own](http://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2018/09/20/alabamas-dinosaur-adventure-land-is-a-sadder-cheaper-creation-museum/) [new Ark Park](https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2018/09/19/painted-plywood-dirt-trails-and-a-cornpone-old-guy/). ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-ham-blames-ark-encounter-failure-on-atheists/789575/279 "2018-09-21T21:45:12Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I’m sure it is up to code. \ > [@Muffin](#): > > But which one? Urukagina, Cuneiform, Ur-Nammu, Eshnunna, Lipit-Ishtar. Hammurabi, Hittites, Nesilim, Assura, Moses? > [@simster](#): > > duh - Bible Code. > [@Muffin](#): > > Oh, the Da Vinci code! The Fundamental Declarations of the Martian Colonies? The Statutes of Alpha III? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-ham-blames-ark-encounter-failure-on-atheists/789575/280 "2018-09-22T00:23:14Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > It would appear there are far more atheists laughing at Ken Ham than there are Christians who’ve ever heard of him (much less visited his museum). There are probably far more Christians laughing at him than the above two categories combined. I’m honestly surprised that the place gets as many visitors as it does. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-ham-blames-ark-encounter-failure-on-atheists/789575.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-ham-blames-ark-encounter-failure-on-atheists/789575.md?page=15)