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PZ Myers is a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris.
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More articles by PZ Myers can be found on Freethoughtblogs at the new Pharyngula!
Category: Creationism
Posted on: December 26, 2007 12:30 PM, by PZ Myers
I gave a Nelson laugh to England a while back, for the creationist theme park that was going to be built there. I may have to take it back. It looks like the backers are a gang of confused prevaricators with no concrete plans, just a lot of wishful thinking on their part.
I propose that they crawl into their churches and pray real hard. That's probably as viable a business plan as what they've got right now.
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Comments
Posted by: Bob O'H | December 26, 2007 12:48 PM
Ouch...
Although with the way the dollar's going, that will soon be enough to build a museum in (say) Texas to rival AiG's.
Bob
Posted by: raven | December 26, 2007 12:56 PM
There is a name for these types of scams. Affinity group scams.
They can be enormously profitable. Look at Ted Haggard, Benny Hill, or the DI.
All you need is a group of gullible, not well educated, people who are conditioned to give money whenever they hear, "For Jesus."
SLC used to be the fraud center of the USA. A lot of Mormons, fake and real, preying on other Mormons. Until the US Department of Justice opened a few offices and started cracking down. Then they all moved to Nevada and Florida.
Posted by: Don | December 26, 2007 1:03 PM
Benny Hill?
Posted by: Gene Goldring | December 26, 2007 1:23 PM
Don
Freudian slip I'm sure.
Posted by: SeattleJew | December 26, 2007 1:25 PM
Posted by: raven | December 26, 2007 1:31 PM
OK, Hinn, not Hill. It is not like I spend a lot of time keeping my list of very rich, Xian scammers up to date. So many frauds, so little time.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | December 26, 2007 1:38 PM
Star Wars message boards?
:)
Posted by: Dan | December 26, 2007 1:45 PM
It's okay, Raven. I think we all knew who you were talking about. Plus, it's easy to get them confused. I mean, Benny Hill slapped people on the head, and Benny Hinn slaps people on the head.
Posted by: Keith | December 26, 2007 3:03 PM
Pastor Benny Hill? Wasn't he the one who got caught chasing scantily clad parishioners around the altar?
Posted by: Donnie B. | December 26, 2007 3:29 PM
Yes, while beating a frail old man about the head and ears.
Posted by: Dennis Hamon | December 26, 2007 3:38 PM
"So many frauds, so little time"
Ah, then it was a Fraudian slip instead. :)
Posted by: Glen Davidson | December 26, 2007 3:43 PM
In the annals of financial matters, I can't think of anything worse than such a sham, except, of course, actually building a travesty like that one.
If only Ham were more intent on pocketing the monies coming in, and less interested in spreading lies. The desire to "save the souls" of others is a greater threat to humans than is mere thievery.
Glen D
http://tinyurl.com/2kxyc7
Posted by: stogoe | December 26, 2007 4:08 PM
*Yakkety Sax starts playing in stogoe's mind*
Heh heh, mule.
Posted by: Andrew | December 26, 2007 4:20 PM
That could be any pastor...Posted by: Rev. Bob Dobbs | December 26, 2007 5:24 PM
Funniest posts I've read in a while. Thanks! Actually, I wouldn't mind them listening to the Rev. Benny Hill...
Posted by: Paul Crowley | December 26, 2007 5:45 PM
Good to have that confirmed - it's exactly what all the British people were saying in the comments then :-)
Posted by: Paul Crowley | December 26, 2007 5:48 PM
Read also the linked post, where she provides a useful linked summary of the work done here in comments to discover the facts.
Posted by: Ichthyic | December 26, 2007 5:49 PM
Pastor Benny Hill? Wasn't he the one who got caught chasing scantily clad parishioners around the altar?
some of us remember...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNUb-m9hwxA
Posted by: jpf | December 26, 2007 5:51 PM
In the '90s here in Washington State, there was a group that said they were going to build a Bible (creationist?) theme park. One of the main attractions was to be a giant simulator ride on Noah's Ark. The group managed to get local TV news coverage at the time, although I can't find anything on it now on the 'net. Needless to say their park didn't pan out either. How many of these projects get announced around the world?
Posted by: Mena | December 26, 2007 6:44 PM
Ah yes, Benny Hinn. I think that this video of him is much more funny than anything Benny Hill ever put out but I have no idea why. Maybe it's because of it having so much concentrated stupid for Jesus, maybe not.
Posted by: guthrie | December 26, 2007 7:05 PM
Yay! Someone I know has been mentioned on Pharyngula. (or rather their blog has)
Posted by: Feòrag | December 26, 2007 8:40 PM
As Paul Crowley mentioned (comment 16, above), I'm very grateful to the commenters here for doing a lot of the legwork required to uncover the fact that the AH Trust is devoid of clothing.
Posted by: Rupert | December 27, 2007 12:50 PM
Actually, I think the accounts claim that the organisation has £310,000 in the bank. Which is still not that much, but it's enough to make a website or two (although the quality of that site lends credence to the £310 theory).
Oddly, the group claims to be a reconvening of one which 'smuggled the Bible into Soviet Russia in 1974 on a floppy disk', a quite bizarre claim (how many floppy disk drives were there in Russia back then?)...
Posted by: Feòrag | December 27, 2007 1:52 PM
Looking at the annual report again, I see nothing that indicates that the sums are multiples of £1000. I do note that I was wrong about the £310 in the bank ("and in hand") -- it's actually £311.
Posted by: helogale | December 28, 2007 4:48 AM
There's another article about it here from the Observer's website - about the difficulty of actually finding any council willing to grant planning permission for it.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2228201,00.html
I particularly like the closing whine from one of the park's backers about Wigan Council's reaction to the project:
The theme park's anti-evolution bias and its emphasis on Genesis has raised eyebrows among planning officials, according to Jones, who originally wanted to build the park at the site of an old B&Q store but was refused permission by the council.
'Wigan council slammed the door in our faces. You mention the C [Christian] word, and people don't want to know,' Jones said.
Posted by: Sean Connor | September 10, 2009 1:33 PM
Now come on lets be fair to the creationists. They should be allowed to set up a theme park with the assistance of Benny Hinn, the faker, and fatman Hagee. They should set one up on the moon-no space suits provided of course-God will not let them die. Ha, Ha,